IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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1.25 


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PholDgraphic 

Sdences 

Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14S80 

(716)t72-4S03 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHJVI/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Tschnical  and  Bibliographic  Nct«s/Nota«  tachniquas  at  bibliographiquas 


T 
t( 


Tha  inatituta  haa  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  availabia  for  filming.  Faaturaa  of  thia 
copy  wliich  may  ba  bibliographically  uniqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagaa  in  tha 
raproduction,  or  which  may  aignificantly  changa 
tha  uauai  mathod  of  filming,  ara  chackad  balow. 


D 
D 
D 
D 
D 

n 

D 
D 
D 


D 


Colourad  covara/ 
Couvartura  da  coulaur 

Covara  damagad/ 
Couvartura  andommagia 

Covara  raatorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  raataurAa  at/ou  palliculAa 

Covar  titia  miaaing/ 

La  titra  da  couvartura  manqua 

Colourad  mapa/ 

Cartas  gAographiquas  an  coulaur 

Colourad  ink  (i.a.  othar  than  blua  or  black)/ 
Encra  da  coulaur  (i.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noira) 

Colourad  plataa  and/or  illuatrationa/ 
Planchaa  at/ou  illuatrationa  an  coulaur 

Bound  with  othar  matariai/ 
RaiiA  avac  d'autraa  documanta 

Tight  binding  may  causa  ahadowa  or  distortion 
along  intarior  margin/ 

La  re  liura  sarr6e  paut  cauaar  da  I'ombra  ou  da  la 
diatortion  la  long  da  la  marga  intAriaura 

Blank  laavas  addad  during  raatoration  may 
appaar  within  tha  tant.  Whanavar  possibla.  thasa 
hava  baan  omittad  from  filming/ 
II  aa  paut  qua  certainas  pagaa  blanchaa  ajoutAaa 
lora  d'una  raatauration  apparaissant  dans  la  taxta. 
maia,  lorsqua  cala  ttait  poaaibla.  caa  pagaa  n'ont 
paa  it6  filmtes. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm*  la  maillaur  axamplaira 
qu'il  lui  a  At*  possibla  da  sa  procurar.  Las  details 
da  cat  axamplaira  qui  sont  paut-*tra  uniquas  du 
point  da  vua  bibliographiqua.  qui  pauvant  modifier 
una  imaga  raproduita,  ou  qui  pauvant  axigar  una 
modification  dans  la  mithoda  normala  da  fiimage 
aont  indiquAa  ci-dassous. 


n 
n 


Colourad  pagaa/ 
Pagaa  da  coulaur 

Pagas  damagad/ 
Pagaa  andommagias 

Pagas  raatorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Pagas  rastaurias  at/ou  palliculAas 


D 


Pagaa  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pagas  d^colorias,  tachet^es  ou  piqutes 


Pagas  detached/ 
Pagas  ditach^es 


rrV  Showthrough/ 
I— ^   Transparence 


D 
D 
D 

n 


Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Quality  inigala  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  material  supplAmantaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pagaa  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc..  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuiilet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  fiimies  A  nouveau  de  fa^on  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


T 

P 
o 
fi 


O 
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tr 

si 

01 

fii 
si 

01 


T» 
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Tl 
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Additional  commanta:/ 
Commentaires  suppiimentaires: 


Wrinkled  pages  may  film  slightly  out  of  focus. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  tha  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  eat  film*  au  taux  da  reduction  indiqu*  ci-daaaoua. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


y 

' 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


The  copy  filmed  h«r«  has  b««n  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


L'exempiaire  fiim*  fut  reproduit  grAce  A  la 
g^nArositA  de: 

BibliothAque  nationale  du  Canada 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  Iceeping  wifth  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  im^jres- 
slon,  or  tlie  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrateck  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  -^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

l\Aaps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  At*  reproduites  avac  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
de  la  nattetA  de  l'exempiaire  filmA,  et  en 
conformitA  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmaga. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  ImprimAe  sont  filmAs  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmAs  en  commenpant  par  la 
premlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparattra  sur  la 
dernlAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  -^^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
filmAs  A  des  taux  de  rAduction  diff Arents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA,  il  est  filmA  A  partir 
de  I'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


1  2  3 


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ORNITHOLOGY. 


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MANUAL 


OF    THE 


ORNITHOLOGY 


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OF    THE 


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UNITED  STATES  AND  OF  CANADA. 


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THOMAS  NUTTALL,  A.  M.,  F.  L.  S.     ' 


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THE  WATER  BIRDS. 


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BOSTON:  T, 

BILLIARD,  GRAY,    AND  COMPANY. 


MDCCC  XXXIV. 


£ntei«d  according  to  the  act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1838, 

by  Thomas  Nottall, 

in  the  Clerk'a  office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of 

Massachusetts. 


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J.    D.    rREEHAN,    FRIIVTER,    WA9HINOTON    STREET. 


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PREFACE. 


"Milt 


In  the  History  of  the  Aquatic  Birds  of  Canada  and 
the  United  States,  I  have  made  use  of  the  same  author- 
ities quoted  in  the  preceding  volume  of  the  Land  Birds, 
with  such  additions  as  have  heen  more  recently  pub- 
lished ;  and,  amongst  these,!  may  mention,  as  preemi- 
nently useful,  the  great  work  of  Doctor  Richardson  and 
Swainson,  on  the  Zoology  of  the  Northern  and  Arctic 
regions  of  the  American  continent ;  in  the  second  volume 
of  which  is  contained  an  ample  history  of  all  the  birds 
of  those  countries,  and  more  particularly  such  as  were 
discovered  in  the  remote  hyperboreal  tracts  examined 
and  explored  by  the  enterprising  and  scientific  individuals, 
attached  to  the  several  public  parties  sent  out  for  the 
purpose,  by  the  enlightened  liberality  of  the  British  Gov- 
ernment. From  this  work,  so  important  in  the  histoiy 
of  the  present  tribes,  I  have  derived  much  important 
information  on  which  I  could  well  rely,  from  the  acknow- 
ledged skill  and  accuracy  of  their  respective  authors.  At 
an  advanced  period  of  the  publication,  I  also  received 
much  interesting  information  from  my  eminent  friend  Mr. 
Audubon,  and  I  have  oaiy  to  regret  that  the  whole 
manuscript  bad  not  been  placed  under  his  revision.  The 
Synopsis  of  C*  Bonaparte,  the  Prince  of  Musignano,  has 


▼1 


PREFACE. 


w 


again  also  been  the  principal  groundwork  of  the  arrange- 
ment and  diagnostic  distinctions  of  the  species. 

A  more  natural  disposition  of  the  subject,  than  the 
classification  I  have  now  adopted,  would  have  been  per- 
haps more  gratifying  to  the  learned,  but  less  useful  in 
practice,  and  more  perplexing  to  the  general  reader.  A 
numerical  system,  (binary,  quinary,  &c.)  however  curi- 
ous and  philosophical,  yet  intricate  in  its  ultimate  rela- 
tions, has  the  inconvenience  at  the  outset  of  debarring 
the  majority  of  students  from  the  attempt  to  compre- 
hend a  subject  so  complicated  and  ambiguous ;  and  which 
at  the  best  is  but  a  bewildering  and  fanciful  theory.  A 
strict  disposition  into  natural  groups,  would  have  been 
indispensable  in  a  purely  scientific  treatise  on  Birds ;  but 
in  a  work  of  this  nature,  intended  for  the  general  Reader, 
we  have  given  the  preference  to  the  more  simple  arrange- 
ment of  Temminck,  which  indeed  differs  little  from  the 
artificial  classification  of  Linnaeus  and  Latham.  The 
difficulty  of  recollecting,  on  all  occasions,  an  intricate 
mass  of  real  and  fanciful  affinities,  renders  such  methods 
of  distribution  entirely  nugatory  in  point  of  convenience. 

To  complete  the  Catalogue  of  our  birds  and  those  of 
the  contiguous  and  vast  possessions  of  Great  Britain,  I 
have  added  an  Appendix,  drawn  chiefly  from  the  dis- 
coveries recorded  by  Richardson  and  Swainson  in  the 
second  volume  of  their  Northern  Zoology  ;  and  to  which 
is  also  added  some  information  and  additions  from  other 
sources,  as  well  as  the  remedy  of  some  inadvertent 
omissions. 

In  now  retiring  from  the  public  as  an  Ornithologist,  I 
take  this  opportunity  of  again  tendering  my  thanks  to 
the  various  friends  and  acquaintances  who  have  at  differ- 


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\\ 


PREFACE. 


VII 


ent  times  afforded  me  any  assistance  in  the  completion 
of  my  imperfect  labors.  ' 

The  graphic  illustrations,  more  uniform  and  correct 
than  those  of  the  preceding  volume,  have  all  been  exe- 
cuted by  Messrs.  Andrews  h  Co.  of  Boston,  and  though 
much  fewer  than  could  be  desired  for  a  complete  know- 
ledge of  the  North  American  birds,  serve  in  their  way  as 
some  assistance  to  the  general  character  of  our  feathered 
tribes. 


\  I 


..I     « 


WADING    BIRDS. 


(Grallatores.     Temminck.) 


V  V 


In  this  tribe  the  bill  varies  in  its  form,  but  is  mostly 
straight,  and  carried  out  into  a  lengthened  and  compressed 
cone,  though  rarely  it  is  depressed  or  flat.  Legs  and  feet 
long  and  slender,  the  former  more  or  less  naked  above  the 
knees :  the  toes  mostly  three  before  and  one  behind,  the 
hinder  one  on  a  level  with,  or  more  elevated  than  the  rest. 

The  Wading  Birds  are  nearly  all  more  or  less  nocturnal 
in  their  habits ;  they  course  along  the  borders  of  seas,  lakes, 
and  rivers,  and  feed,  oflen  indifferently,  on  fish,  fry,  reptiles, 
and  on  land  and  aquatic  insects;  those  provided  with  a 
strong  and  hard  bill,  give  a  preference  to  fish  and  reptiles, 
while  those  with  flexible  mandibles,  feed  on  worms  and  in- 
sects. They  are  all  provided  with  long  wings,  so  necessary 
to  sustain  them  in  the  distant  journeys  which  they  periodi- 
cally undertake,  and  for  which  they  assemble  themselves 
into  flocks,  the  young  and  the  old  proceeding  in  separate 
companies.  In  the  autumn,  unable  to  procure  sustenance, 
by  reason  of  the  frost,  they  migrate  to  mild  climates.  While 
sustained  in  the  air,  their  feet  are  usually  seen  stretched  out 
behind  them ;  their  gait  is  slow,  with  measured  steps ;  though 
at  the  same  time,  some  of  the  birds  included  in  this  general 
order  run  with  great  celerity,  as  might  be  expected  from  the 
concurrent  formation  of  their  legs  and  feet.  Most  of  these 
birds  enter  the  water,  without  attempting  to  swim ;  some 
1 


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3 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


aI 


traverse  muddy  and  oozy  marshes ;  while  others,  with  slen- 
der legs,  and  with  the  toes  very  long,  and  entirely  divided,* 
swim  and  dive  with  the  greatest  facility.  A  few  of  the 
GRALLiG  with  the  feet  whoily  or  partly  palmated,  still  do  not 
habitually  swim,  but  seeking  their  nourishment  over  vast 
marshy  plains,  washed  by  the  sea  or  by  rivers,  they  are  pro- 
vided with  long  legs,  and  their  wholly,  or  partially  webbed 
feet  serve  merely  to  sustain  them  from  sinking  into  the  soil 
and  muddy  soil.  Other  species,  though  they  do  not  habitu- 
ally swim,  are  nevertheless  endowed  with  the  ability,  which 
they  seldom  exercise,  but  when  driven  to  extremities  by  their 
enemies.t  The  voice  of  ihe  whole  order,  of  these  melan- 
choly, quailing,  and  shy  birds,  is  generally  harsh,  loud,  and 
unmusical ;  but  though  divested  of  sympathetic  attraction 
to  man,  they  yet  afford  a  vast  supply  of  choice  and  delicate 
food,  many  of  them  being  ranked  amongst  the  most  valua- 
ble game.  They  breed  usually  but  once  in  the  year.  In 
some  genera,  and  often  only  in  a  few  species,  the  moult  is 
double,  and  attended  with  a  periodical  change  in  the  colors 
of  the  plumage :  in  others  the  moult  is  annual,  and  then, 
the  young  are  several  seasons  in  acquiring  the  dress  of  the 
adult ;  but  in  all  there  is  but  little  external  sexual  difference. 


^ « 


§  I.   Waders  with  three  toes. 


'■n'i' 


SANDERLINGS.     (Calidris,  Illiger,  Temminck.)  ' 

In  these  birds  the  bill  is  of  moderate  size,  slender,  straight, 
rather  sofl,  flexible  in  every  part,  compressed  from  its  base,  with  the 
point  depressed,  and  so  much  flattened,  as  to  be  wider  than  the  mid- 
die.  JVasal  groove  elongated  nearly  to  the  point  of  tlie  bill.  Nos- 
trils lateral,  placed  in  a  longitudinal  cleft.    Feet  slender,  the  3  toes 


*TheRail,  Gallinule  and  Parra.  .  '    ,i  -^.iT' 

,  t  Such  as  some  species  of  the  genera  TVin^a,  Totanus,  Ldmoaa,  Ckaradrius,  and 
particularly  Hamatopus. 


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SANDERLINGS. 


^ 


all  directed  forward,  and  almost  entirely  divided  to  their  base, 
moderate  in  size,  the  Srst  quill  the  longest. 

The  genus  of  the  Sanderling  contains  but  a  single  species,  ordina- 
rily confounded  with  the  Sandpipers,  to  which  they  are  indeed 
closely  related.  These  birds  are  spread  nearly  throughout  the  whole 
globe,  over  which  they  travel  in  the  course  of  their  periodical  mi- 
grations. They  retire  into  the  colder  regions  to  breed,  emigrating 
usually  in  small  companies,  along  the  borders  of  the  sea,  and  they 
often  cover  the  shores  with  their  numerous  flocks.  They  live  upon 
the  smallest  marine  insects,  Crustacea,  minute  shell-fish,  and  the 
diminutive  coleopterous  insects  of  the  shore.  As  they  are  only  seen 
accidentally  along  the  borders  of  rivers,  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  their 
principal  food  is  maritime.  They  experience  a  double  moult,  and 
the  color  of  their  plumage  greatly  differs  in  the  two  seasons ;  the 
sexes,  however,  are  scarcely  distinguishable  from  each  other  by  any 
external  marks,  but  the  young  of  the  year  have  a  livery  which  dif- 
fers from  that  of  the  adult  at  any  season. 


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SANDERUNG  PLOVER.  :  7 

(Calidris  arenaria,  Illiger.  Tringa  arenaria,  Lur.  Charadrius 
calidris,  Wilson,  vii.  pi.  59.  fig.  4.  [adult  in  winter  dress.]  Phil. 
Museum,  No.  6204,  and  Ruddy  Plover,  C.  ruhidus,  Wilsos,  vii.  pi. 
63.  fig.  3.     [summer  dress.]  ) 

Specific  Character.  —  The  Bill  straight  and  shorter  than  the  head ; 
the  rump  ash  colored,  and  with  the  middle  tail  feathers  the  long* 
est.  —  Summer  plumage,  varied  with  blackish,  white,  and  rufous, 
beneath  white. —  Winter  livery,  pale  ash  color,  and  with  the  sides 
of  the  Aead,  and  all  beneath,  white.  , 

The  Sanderlings,  in  accumulating  flocks,  arrive  on  the 
shores  of  Massachusetts  from  their  remote  northern  breed- 
ing places  towards  the  close  of  August.  They  are  seen 
also  about  the  same  time  on  the  coast  of  New  Jersey,  and 
still  farther  to  the  south,  where  they  remain  throughout  the 
greater  part  of  the  winter,  gleaning  their  subsistence  exclu- 
sively along  the  immediate  borders  of  the  ocean,  and  are 


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^^ANDE&LiNO  PLOVlJR.  5 

particularly  attacLjd  to  sandy  flats,  and  low,  sterile,  solitary 
coasts,  divested  of  vegetation,  and  perpetually  bleached  by 
the  access  of  tides  and  storms ;  in  such  situations  they  are 
often  seen  in  numerous  flocks,  running  along  the  strand, 
busily  employed  in  front  of  the  moving  waves,  gleaning  with 
agility,  the  shrimps,  minute  shell-fish,  marine  insects,  and 
small  moluscous  animals,  which  ever  recurring  accident 
throws  in  their  way.  The  numerous  flocks,  keep  a  low 
circling  course  along  the  strand,  at  times,  uttering  a  slender 
and  rather  plaintive  whistle,  nearly  like  that  of  the  smaller 
sandpipers.  On  alighting,  the  little  active  troop,  waiting  the 
opportunity,  scatter  themselves  about  in  the  rear  of  the  re- 
tiring surge,  the  succeeding  wave  then  again  urges  the  busy 
gleaners  before  it,  when  they  appear  like  a  little  pigmy  army 
passing  through  their  military  evolutions ;  and  at  this  time 
the  wily  sportsman,  seizing  his  opportunity,  spreads  destruc- 
tion among  their  timid  ranks :  and  so  little  are  they  aware 
of  the  nature  of  the  attack,  that,  after  making  a  few  aerial 
meanders,  the  survivers  pursue  their  busy  avocations  with 
as  little  apparent  concern  as  at  the  first.  The  breeding 
place  of  the  Sanderling,  in  common  with  many  other  wad- 
ing, and  aquatic  birds,  is  in  the  remote  and  desolate  regions 
of  the  north,  since  they  appear  to  be  obliged  to  quit  those 
countries  in  America  a  little  after  the  middle  of  August. 
According  to  Mr.  Hutchins,  they  breed  on  the  coast  of 
Hudson's  Bay,  as  low  as  the  55th  parallel :  and  he  remarks 
that  they  construct,  in  the  marshes,  a  rude  nest  of  grass, 
laying  4  dusky  eggs,  spotted  with  black,  on  which  they  begin 
to  sit  about  the  middle  of  June. 

Flemming  supposes  that  those  seen  in  Great  Britain  breed 
no  farther  off  than  in  the  bleak  Highlands  of  Scotland,  and 
Mr.  Simmonds  observed  them  at  the  Mull  of  Cantyre  as  late 
as  the  2d  of  June.  They  are  found  in  the  course  of  the 
season  throughout  the  whole  arctic  circle,  extending  their 

1* 


6 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


migrations  also  into  moderate  climates  in  the  winter.  They 
do  not,  however,  in  Europe,  proceed  as  far  south  as  the 
capital  of  Italy,  as  we  learn  from  the  careful  and  assiduous 
observations  of  the  Prince  of  Musignano.  According  to 
Latham,  the  Sanderling  is  known  to  be  an  inhabitant  even 
of  the  remote  coast  of  Australia,  and  is  found  on  the  shores 
of  Lake  Baikal  in  Siberia.  In  the  month  of  May,  or  as 
soon  as  they  have  recovered  from  the  moult  of  spring,  they 
leave  us  for  the  north,  but  are  seldom  in  good  order  for  the 
table  until  autumn,  when,  with  their  broods,  they  arrive 
remarkably  plump  and  fat,  and  are  then  justly  esteemed  as 
a  delicacy  by  the  epicure.  Besides  the  various  kinds  of  in- 
sect food,  already  mentioned,  on  which  they  live,  they  like- 
wise swallow  considerable  portions  of  sand,  in  order,  ap- 
parently, to  assist  the  process  of  digestion. 

The  Sanderling  is  about  8  inches  in  length ;  the  alar  extent  or 
stretch  of  the  wings  being  14  inches.  The  bill  and  legs  black,  the 
former  about  1^  inches  long.  Summer  plumage,  the  feathers  black 
in  the  centres,  bordered  with  ferruginous,  and  fringed  with  white, 
the  black  spots  only  larger,  and  the  rufous  borders  deeper,  on  the 
scapulars.  Four  first  primaries  brown  externally  and  on  the  tips ; 
their  inner  webs,  and  the  bases  of  the  other  quills,  with  the  whole 
under  plumage  white.  Rump  gray.  The  2  central  tail  feathers 
blackish-brown,  slightly  edged  with  ferruginous;  the  others  of  a 
soiled  white.  Wings  equal  with  the  tail.  —  After  the  moult  in  a»- 
tumn  and  in  winter,  all  the  upper  parts,  and  the  aides  of  the  neck, 
are  of  a  whitish  gray,  but  with  a  small  trait  of  a  deeper  color  in  the 
centre  of  each  feather.  In  the  young  bird  before  moulting,  the  dark 
upper  plumage  is  bordered  by  yellowish,  and  varied  with  small  spots 
of  the  same  color.  ; 


1 


LONG-LEGGED  PLOVERS,  or  STILTS. 

(HiMANTOPDS,  Brisson,  Tern.) 

In  the  birds  of  this  singular  genus,  formerly  included  among  the 
Plovers,  the  bill  is  long,  slender,  cylindric,  attenuated,  flattened  at 


W: 


\'- 


w 


LONG-LEGOED   PLOVERS,   OR   STILTS. 


its  base,  and  compressed  at  the  point ;  the  mandibles  are  also  chan- 
nelled  laterally  for  about  half  their  length.  The  nostrils  lateral, 
linear,  and  long.  Feet  very  long  and  slender ;  the  3  toes  directed 
forward ;  the  middle  toe  united  to  the  outer  one  by  a  wide  membrane, 
and  to  the  interior  toe  by  a  minute  rudiment  only ;  the  elates  very 
small,  and  flat.  Wings  very  long,  the  1st  quill  extending  far  beyond 
the  rest. 

The  Stilts  have  a  greater  predilection  for  the  borders  of  the  sea 
and  saline  lakes,  than  for  the  banks  of  rivers  and  fresh  waters.  They 
fly  with  great  rapidity,  but  when  running  appear  to  stagger  ia  bal- 
ancing their  long  legs.  Their  food  consists  of  small  worms,  flies, 
minute  shell-fish,  and  marine  insgcts.  The  species  are  very  few, 
and  spread  over  Europe,  Asia,  and  America,  but  they  are  no  where 
numerouH  They  associate  and  breed  in  small  flocks,  and  from 
the  unusual  length  of  their  legs,  are,  like  the  Flamingo,  obliged 
apparently  to  hatch  their  eggs  in  a  standing  or  equitant  posture.  The 
moult  is  believed  to  be  double. 


St 


if 


■tr 


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■  '.'.»•■;■-.■ '-i'. 


V\ 


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HI  no    'V: 


..-..,   if    i'ii 


'■^i>fe;**.^^^i<fe^i  ^-'■ 


•     ♦ 


I 


'A 


BLACk-NECKED  STILT. 

{Himantopus  nigricoUis,  Vieillot.    Recurvirostra  himantopus,  Wil- 
son, vii.  pi.  58.  fig.  2.    Phil.  Museum,  No.  4210.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  White;  neck  above, scapulars  and  wings,  black. — 
Female  (oi;  young.')  with  the  back,  scapulars,  and  tertials  dark 
brown. 

The  Black-necked  Stilt  is  common  to  many  parts  of  South 
as  well  as  North  America ;  it  is  known  at  any  rate  to  inhabit 
the  coast  of  Cayenne,  Jamaica,  and  Mexico.  In  the  United 
States,  it  is  seldom  seen  but  as  a  straggler  as  far  to  the  north 
as  the  latitude  of  41°.  About  the  25th  of  April,  according 
to  Wilson,  they  arrive  on  the  coast  of  New  Jersey  in  small 
flocks  of  20  or  30  together.     These  again  subdivide  into 


\V 


»  ,■ 


i  1 


<   -'Ik: 


■^11 


BLACK-NECKED   STILT. 


9 


smaller  parties,  but  they  still  remain  gregarious  through  the 
breeding  season.  Their  favorite  residence  is  in  the  higher 
and  more  inland  parts  of  the  greater  salt  marshes,  which 
are  interspersed  and  broken  up  with  shallow  pools,  not  usually 
overflowed  by  the  tides  during  summer.  In  these  places 
they  are  often  seen  wading  up  to  the  breast  in  water,  in  quest 
of  the  larvae,  spawn,  flies,  and  insects,  which  constitute  their 
food. 

In  the  vicinity  of  these  bare  places,  among  thick  tufls  of 
grass,  small  associations  of  six  or  eight  pair,  take  up  their  resi- 
dence for  the  breeding  season.  They  are,  however,  but 
sparingly  dispersed  over  the  marshes,  selecting  their  favorite 
spots,  while  in  large  intermediate  tracts,  few  or  none  are  to 
be  seen.  Early  in  May,  they  begin  to  make  their  nests, 
which  are  at  first  slightly  formed  of  a  mere  layer  of  old  grass, 
just  sufficient  to  keep  the  eggs  from  the  moisture  of  the 
marsh;  in  the  course  of  incubation,  however,  either  to 
guard  against  the  rise  of  the  tides,  or  for  some  other  pur- 
pose, the  nest  is  increased  in  height  with  the  dry  twigs  of 
salt  marsh  shrubs,  roots  of  grass,  sea-weed,  and  any  other 
coarse  materials  which  may  be  convenient,  until  the  whole 
may  now  weigh  two  or  three  pounds.  The  eggs,  four  in  num- 
ber, are  of  a  dark  yellowish  drab,  thickly  marked  with  large 
blotches  of  brownish-black.  These  nests  are  oflen  situated 
within  fifleen  or  twenty  yards  of  each  other,  the  respective 
proprietors  living  in  mutual  friendship. 

While  the  females  are  sitting,  their  mates  are  either  wad- 
ing in  the  adjoining  ponds,  or  traversing  the  marshes  in  the 
vicinity ;  but  on  the  approach  of  any  intruder  in  their  peacea- 
ble community,  the  whole  troop  assemble  in  the  air,  and 
flying  steadily  with  their  long  legs  extended  behind  them, 
keep  up  a  continual  yelping  note  of  click,  click,  click.  Alight- 
ing on  the  marsh,  they  are  oflen  seen  to  drop  their  wings, 
and  standing  with  their  legs  half  bent,  and  trembling,  they 


10 


WADING   BIRDS. 


seem  to  sustain  their  bodies  with  difficulty.  In  this  singu- 
lar posture  they  will  sometimes  remain  for  several  minutes, 
uttering  a  curring  sound,  and  quivering  their  wings  and 
long  shanks  as  if  in  the  act  of  laboriously  balancing  them- 
selves on  the  ground.  A  great  deal  of  this  motion  is,  how- 
ever, probably  in  manoeuvre,  to  draw  the  spectators'  attention 
from  their  nests. 

Although  so  sedentary  in  the  breeding  season,  at  times 
they  extend  their  visits  to  the  shores,  wading  about  in  the 
water  and  mud  in  quest  of  their  food,  which  they  scoop  up 
with  great  dexterity.  On  being  wounded,  while  in  the  wa- 
ter, they  sometimes  attempt  to  escape  by  dWing,  at  which, 
however,  they  are  by  no  means  expert.  In  autumn,  their 
flesh  is  tender  and  well  flavored.  They  depart  for  the  south 
early  in  September,  and  proceed  probably  to  pass  the  winter 
in  tropical  America. 

Length  from  the  extremity  of  the  bill  to  the  end  of  the  tail  14 
inches,  alar  extent  28.  The  bill  3  inches  long.  Forehead,  spot  be- 
hind the  eye,  lower  eyelids,  sides  of  the  neck,  and  all  the  lower  side 
of  the  body  pure  white.  Tail  nearly  even,  sullied  white.  Line 
before  the  eye,  auriculars,  back  part  of  the  neck,  scapulars  and 
wings,  black,  with  a  green  gloss.  Legs  and  thighs  pale  carmine, 
thighs  3  inches  long.  The  legs  4^,  very  thin  and  elastically  flexible. 
Wings  sharp  pointed,  extending  2  inches  beyond  the  tail.  Iris  scar- 
let.  —  In  the  female  or  young,  the  back,  scapulars,  and  tertials  are 
dark  brown. 


^ij^i 


STILT,  OR  LONG-LEGGED  PLOVER. 

{IRmantopua  melan<^terus,  Meteb.    Charadrius  himantopus,  Ghxlir,  Latham, 
Ind.  i.  p.  741.  sp.  3.    L'Echasse,  Bcffon.    Gis.  viii  p.  114.  t.  8.) 

Sp.  ([haract.  —  V\rhite ;  above,  except  the  neck  black  ;  tail  cinereous ;  legs  ver- 
milion red,  very  long.     In  tlie  old  males,  all  the  nape  and  hind  head  white.  — 
Female  a  little  smaller,  and  without  green  reflections  from  the  black  above.  — 
In  the  young,  the  feet  are  orange  colored,  with  the  mantle  and  wings  brown,  tlie 
feathers  edged  with  wbiUsb  j  top  of  the  head,  occiput,  and  nape,  of  a  blackish 


■*"*  •*^'?l'*^*?■^■*^•^"?*■''''(*'*" 


t 

■r 


t 


OTSTER-CATCHERS. 


li 


grajr  edgtd  with  whKUi.    This  laM  Mage  of  plamage  eonititatM  the  B.  metU»- 
RMofBMitioR.    T>p«36.ep.  9> 

Thk  Stilt,  though  rare  and  accidental  in  iti  yiiiUi  in  the  colder 
dimatei,  is  not  uncommon  in  eastern  Europe,  along  the  borders  of 
lakes  in  Hungary,  and  in  the  interior  of  Asia,  where,  as  well  as  in 
Mexico  and  Brazil,  and  sometimes  in  Germany  and  France,  it  is 
known  to  pass  the  period  of  reproduction.  In  Egypt,  where  it 
arrives  in  October,  it  probably  passes  the  winter.  According  to 
Temminck  it  was  known  to  nest  in  the  marshes  near  Abbeville  in 
1818,  but  their  general  resort  for  breeding  is  in  the  vast  saline 
marshes  of  Hungary  and  Russia.  Being  a  native  of  regions  so  con- 
tiguous to  the  southern  limits  of  the  United  States,  there  is  little 
doubt  but  that  it  visits  the  whole  shores  of  the  Mexican  Oulph.  Its 
habits  are  altogether  maritime,  and  it  is  said  to  feed  on  the  spawn 
of  fish,  tadpoles,  gnats,  flies  and  other  aquatic  insects.  The  legs  of 
this  bird  are  remarkably  slender,  and  longer,  perhaps  in  proportion, 
than  in  any  other  known  bird,  it  consequently  staggers  and  reels  in 
its  gait,  while  balancing  itself  on  its  stilt-like  legs. 

The  length  of  this  apeciM,  from  the  point  of  the  bill  to  the  extremity  of  the  tail, 
ifl  alwut  15  inches,  and  from  the  same  to  the  clawa  nearly  20  inches.  Face,  neck, 
breast,  and  all  the  lower  parts  pure  white  ;  this  white  takes  a  slight  rosaceous  tint 
on  the  breast  and  belly.  Nape  and  hind  head  black,  or  blackish,  with  white  spots. 
Back  and  wings  black,  with  greenish  reflections.  Tail  cinereous.  Bill  black. 
Iris  carmine ;  and  the  feet  vermilion  red.      - 


OYSTER-CATCHERS.     (H^matopus.    Lin.) 

In  these  the  bill  is  long,  robust,  straight,  and  compressed,  more 
particularly  towards  the  point  where  it  is  bevelled  off  like  a  pair  of 
scissors.  Nostrils  lateral,  longitudinally  clefl  in  the  groove  of  the 
bill.  Feet  strong  and  muscular,  the  3  toes  directed  forward,  with 
the  middle  toe  united  to  the  outer  by  a  membrane  as  far  as  the  first 
articulation,  and  to  the  interior  by  a  small  rudiment ;  the  toes  them- 
selves  also  bordered  by  a  rudimental  membrane.  Wings  of  moderate 
size ;  the  1st  quill  longest. 

The  Oyster-Catchers  dwell  exclusively  along  the  borders  of  the 
sea,  frequenting  beeches  and  sandy  shores,  where  they  are  seen  to 
follow  the  waves,  in  quest  of  the  marine  insects,  which  they  bear  to 
the  strand.    They  assemble  in  great  flocks  to  undertake  their  migra- 


13 


WAOINO   BIKD8. 


tory  rojhgen,  but  live  in  pain  during  the  teaion  of  reproduction ; 
making  their  neats  among  the  herbage,  or  in  the  saline  and  marshy 
meadowa  contiguous  to  the  ocean.  They  run  and  fly  swiflly,  and 
utter  a  sharp  and  echoing  cry.  The  moult  is  double ;  namely  in 
spring  and  autumn,  but  the  color  of  the  plumage  scarcely  undergoes 
any  change ;  the  only  well-marked  difference  in  their  livery  is  in 
the  absence  or  presence  of  a  white  gorget  on  the  throat.  The  sexes 
are  likewise  externally  alike. 


PIED  OYSTER-CATCHER. 

(Htematoptts  oatralegus,  Lin.  Wilson,  viii.  p.  15,  pi.  64.  fig.  2.  [Sum- 
mer Dress.]    Phil.  Museum,  No.  4258.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Blackish ;  rump,  band  on  the  wing,  base  of  the 
quills,  tail  feathers,  and  from  below  the  breast,  white ;  the  bill  and 
feet  red.  —  Summer  dress,  glossy  black ;  in  winter  a  white  crescent 
on  the  thrr^at.  —  In  the  Young  the  back  and  wings  are  brownish 
black,  and  thr^  bill  and  feet  dusky. 

The  Oyster-Caicher  is  common  to  the  north  of  both  con- 
tinents, breeding  in  Great  Britain,  France,  Norway,  and 
along  the  borders  of  the  Caspian ;  it  is  even  seen  as  far 
south  as  Senegal  in  Africa.  But  though  common  in  New 
Jersey  and  the  southern  states  as  far  as  the  Bahamas,  where 
they  likewise  pass  the  period  of  reproduction ;  they  are  but 
rarely  seen  to  visit  the  coast  of  Massachusetts.  In  Europe, 
they  are  said  to  retire  somewhat  inland  at  the  approach  of 
winter ;  in  the  United  States  they  are  seen  at  this  season 
along  the  coasts  which  lie  south  of  Cape  Hatteras,  on  the 
borders  of  the  Atlantic.  They  return  to  New  Jersey  by 
the  close  of  April,  and,  frequenting  the  sandy  sea  beach, 
are  now  seen  in  small  parties  of  two  or  three  pairs  together. 
They  are  generally  wild  and  difficult  to  approach,  except  in 
the  breeding  season,  and  at  times  may  be  seen  walking 
erectly  and  watchfully  along  the  shore,  now  and  then  prob- 
ing the  sand  in  quest  of  marine  worms,  molusca,  and  minute 


.'«**>' 


\\ 


'm 


*  > 


HA 


PIED   OYSTER-CATCHER. 


18 


shell  fish.  Their  larger  prey  is  sometimes  the  small  bur- 
rowing crabs  called  Fiddlers,  as  well  as  muscles,  solens,  and 
oysters,  their  reputed  prey  in  Europe.  They  seldom,  how- 
ever, molest  the  larger  shell-fish  in  the  United  States,  pre- 
ferring smaller  and  less  precarious  game.  Catesby,  at  the 
same  time,  asserts  that  he  found  oysters  in  the  stomach,  and 
Willughby  adds,  that  they  sometimes  swallowed  entire  lim- 
pets. According  to  Belon,  the  organ  of  digestion  is  indeed 
spacious  and  muscular,  and  the  flesh  of  the  bird  is  black, 
hard,  and  rank  flavored.  Yet  in  the  opinion  of  some,  the 
young,  when  fat,  are  considered  as  agreeable  food.  The 
nests  of  the  Oyster-catchers  are  said  often  to  be  made  in 
the  herbage  of  the  salt  marshes,  but  on  the  Atlantic  coast 
they  commonly  drop  their  eggs  in  slight  hollows  scratched 
in  the  coarse  sand  and  drifl,  in  situations  just  sufficiently 
elevated  above  the  reach  of  the  summer  tides.  The  eggs 
about  3  or  4,  laid  from  the  first  to  the  third  week  in  May, 
are  nearly  the  size  of  those  of  the  domestic  hen,  of  a  bluish 
or  simple  cream  color,  inclining  to  olive,  marked  with  large 
roundish  spots  of  two  shades  of  brownish  black.  From  the 
15th  to  the  25th  of  May,  the  young  are  hatched,  and  run 
about  nimbly  almost  as  soon  as  they  escape  from  the  shell. 
At  first  they  are  covered  with  a  down  nearly  the  color  of  the 
sand,  but  marked  with  a  line  of  brownish  black  on  the  back, 
rump,  and  neck.  In  some  parts  of  Europe,  they  are  so  re- 
markably gregarious  in  particular  breeding  spots,  that  a 
bushel  of  their  eggs  in  a  few  hours  might  be  collected 
from  the  same  place. 

Like  Gulls,  and  other  birds  of  this  class,  incubation  costs 
much  less  labor  than  among  the  smaller  bird^,  for  the  female 
sits  on  her  eggs  only  during  the  night  and  morning,  or  in 
cold  and  rainy  weather..  The  heat  of  the  sun  and  sand 
alone  being  generally  sufficient  to  hatch  them,  without  the 
aid  of  the  bird  by  day.  The  nest  is,  however,  assiduously 
2 


\s 


14 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


watched  with  the  usual  solicitude  of  parental  affection,  »nd 
on  the  least  alarm,  the  male  starts  off*  with  a  loud  scream, 
while  the  female,  if  present,  to  avoid  the  discovery  of  her 
charge,  runs  out  some  distance  previous  to  taking  wing. 
The  young,  as  soon  as  released  from  the  shell,  follow  the 
guiding  call  of  the  mother,  and  on  any  imminent  danger 
threatening,  instinctively  squat  on  the  sand,  when  from 
the  similarity  of  their  color,  it  is  nearly  impossible  to  dis- 
cover their  artless  retreat.  On  these  occasions,  the  pa- 
rents  make  wide  circuits  on  either  hand,  now  and  then 
alighting,  and  practising  the  usual  stratagem  of  counterfeited 
imbecility,  to  draw  away  attention  from  their  brood.  The 
note  of  this  species  consists  commonly  of  a  quick,  loud,  and 
shrill  whistling  call  like  'wheep,  'toheep,  wheo,  or  peep^  peep^ 
often  reiterated,  as  well  at  rest  as  while  on  the  wing. 

While  migrating,  they  keep  together  in  lines  like  a  mar- 
shalled troop,  and  however  disturbed  by  the  sportsman,  they 
still  continue  to  maintain  their  ranks.  At  a  later  period,  the 
flock  will  oflen  rise,  descend,  and  wheel  about  with  great 
regularity,  at  the  same  time  bringing  the  brilliant  white  of 
their  wings  into  conspicuous  display.  When  wounded,  and 
at  other  times,  according  to  Baillon,  they  betake  themselves 
to  the  water,  on  which  they  repose,  and  swim  and  dive  with 
celerity.  They  have  sometimes  also  been  brought  up  and 
tamed  so  as  to  associate  familiarly  with  ducks  and  other 
poultry. 

The  length  of  this  species  is  about  18  inches,  the  alar  admeasure- 
ment  35.  The  bill  from  3^  to  3|  inches  long,  and  of  a  very  lively 
orange ;  orbits  of  the  same  color.  Iris  bright  yellow.  Beneath  the 
eye  a  small  spot  of  white,  and  a  large  bed  of  the  same  on  the  wing- 
coverts.  Head,  neck,  scapulars,  rump,  quills,  and  tail,  black ;  several 
of  the  primaries  are  marked  on  their  outer  vanes  with  a  slanting 
band  of  white.  Secondaries  white,  part  of  them  tipt  with  black. 
The  whole  lower  part  of  the  body,  sides  of  the  rump,  tail-coverts, 
and  that  portion  of  the  tail  which  they  cover,  pure  white.    The 


%■ 


W 


i*      PL0VKR8.   n 


16 


i 


.v\ 


olofed  wings  ooyer  the  whole  white  |ilumage  of  the  back  and  rump. 
Legi  pale  red.  Obs.  Some  autkora  say  tli'^y  are  of  a  fine  coral  red, 
othen  of  a  red  orange,  and  hence  Bclon  dcnonuiiaU'd  it  Hamatopua, 
from  oi/ia,  bloody  and  nui,  Utiofoot. 


T*^-<M 


•tk- !.. 


MANTLED  OYSTER-CATCHER.  \   , 

''  (Hamatopus  palliatuiy  TmuutncK.) 

Br.  CHAmAOT.  —  Back,  icapnlan,  and  wingi,  cinereoiu  brown ;  bill  and  tent  more 
robuBt. 

This  speciei,  introduced  on  the  authority  of  Tcmminck,  is  found 

in  Brazil  and  tropical  America  generally,  and  may  consequently  be 

expected  occasionally  on  the  coast  of  Florida.    In  this  race,  the  bill 

is  constantly  longer,  and  as  well  as  the  feet  more  robust.     With  its 

habits,  if  at  all  different  from  those  of  the  common  species,  we  are  as 

yet  unacquainted. 

Note.  —  A  third  species  of  thia  genus,  the  Hamataput  niger  of  Cutikr,  is  like- 
wise met  with  in  South  Africa,  and  Australia.  This  kind  is  a  little  larger  than  the 
common  Oyster-Catcber,  with  the  plumage  entirely  black,  and  the  bill  and  feet 
coral  red.  ,    . 


PLOVERS.     (Charadrius,  Lin.) 

In  these  the  bill  is  shorter  than  the  head,  rather  slender,  straight, 
and  compressed.  Nostrils  basal,  notched,  longitudinally  clefl  in 
the  middle  of  a  large  membrane,  which  covers  the  nasal  fosse,  the 
groove  of  the  nostrils  also  continued  along  two-thirds  of  the  bill. 
The  FEET  long,  or  only  of  moderate  length,  and  slender,  the  3  toes 
directed  forward ;  the  exterior  one  united  to  the  middle  toe  by  a  short 
membrane,  inner  toe  generally  divided,  the  hind  one  wanting.  Tail 
faintly  rounded,  or  square.  The  wm^5  of  moderate  dimensions;  the 
1st  primary  a  little  shorter  than  the  2d,  which  is  the  longest. 

The  Plovers  generally  associate  in  small  flocks,  and  the  whole 
emigrate  in  companies  of  greater  or  less  extent ;  the  young  collect 
together,  pursuing  their  route  apart  from  the  old,  and  afler  their 
departure.  They  live  principally  upon  small  worms,  and  aquatic 
insects.  The  common  species,  and  the  Chtignard,  frequent  the 
marshes  and  muddy  borders  of  the  larger  or  smaller  rivers,  and 
rarely  frequent  sea-shores ;  the  other  species  live  more  habitually 


16 


WADING   BIRDS. 


upon  the  coasts,  and  near  the  outlets  of  streams.  The  moult  in 
most  of  the  species  is  double,  and  the  sexes  are  scarcely  distin* 
guishable  by  any  exterior  markings,  except  in  the  C.  eantianuSf  in 
which  the  moult  is  only  annual,  and  the  sexes  distin^ishable  by 
their  livery.  Some  exotic  species  of  the  genus  bear  spines  upon  the 
shoulders  of  the  wings,  being,  in  fact,  an  approach  towards  the  deyel- 
opement  of  claws  on  the  anterior  extremities !  several  other  species 
have  fleshy  excrescences  upon  the  head  or  mandibles. 


t  Inner  toe  deft, 
THE  COMMON,  or  GOLDEN  PLOVER. 

(Charadrius  pluvialis,  Lin.  Wilson,  Am.  Orn.  vii.  p.  71.  pi.  59. 
fig,  5.  [the  young]  C.  apricarius,  Ghel.  Wilson,  vii.  p.  41.  pi. 
57.  fig.  4.  [the  adult  in  summer  plumage.]  Phil.  Museum,  No. 
4196.) 

Sp.  Chakact.  —  Spotted  with  black  and  lemon  yellow ;  long  axillaiy 
feathers  yellowish  grey.  —  Summer  plumage,  beneath  black;  in 
winter  below  white,  tinged  with  yellowish  grey.  —  The  youTtg  or 
moulting  birds  duller,  and  beneath  varied  with  black  and  whitish. 

The  Common  Plover  is,  according  to  the  season  cf  the 
year,  met  with  in  almost  every  part  of  the  world,  particularly 


.*! 


I 


/■:'■ 


4 


COMMON,   OR  GOLDEN  PLOVER. 


If 


in 
a- 
in 

>y 

to 

5l- 
68 


►9. 
>1. 


ry 

in 
or 
ih. 


•  n 


\\ 


in  Asia  and  Europe,  from  Kamtschatka  to  China,  as  well 
as  in  the  South  Sea  Islands ;  and  on  the  present  continent 
from  Arctic  America,  where  it  breeds,  to  the  Falkland 
Islands :  it  is  also  seen  in  the  interior,  at  least  as  far  as 
Missouri.  They  breed  in  Siberia,  and  in  the  northern  parts 
of  Great  Britain,  but  not  in  France  or  Italy,  where  they  are 
also  common.  At  such  times,  they  select  the  high  and 
secluded  mountains  sheltered  by  the  heath,  where,  without 
much  attempt  at  a  nest,  they  deposit  about  4,  or  sometimes 
5  eggs  of  a  pale  olive  color,  marked  with  blackish  spots. 

They  arrive  on  the  coast  of  the  middle  and  northern 
states  in  spring  and  early  autumn.  Near  to  Nantasket  and 
Chelsea  beach,  they  are  seen,  on  their  return  from  their 
inclement  natal  regions  in  the  north,  by  the  close  of  August, 
and  the  young  remain  in  the  vicinity  till  the  middle  of  Oc- 
tober, or  later,  according  to  the  state  of  the  weather.  They 
live  principally  upon  land  insects,  or  the  larvae  and  worms 
they  meet  with  in  the  saline  marshes,  and  appear  very  fond 
of  grasshoppers.  About  the  time  of  their  departure  they 
are,  early  in  a  morning,  seen  sometimes  assembled  by 
thousands,  but  they  all  begin  to  disperse  as  the  sun  rises, 
and  at  length  disappear  high  in  the  air  for  the  season.  They 
usually  associate,  however,  in  small  flocks  and  families,  and 
when  alarmed,  while  on  the  wing,  or  giving  their  call  to 
those  who  are  feeding  around  them,  they  have  a  wild,  shrill 
and  whistling  note,  and  are  at  most  times  timid,  watchful, 
and  difficult  to  approach.  Though  they  continue  associa- 
ted in  numbers  for  common  safety  during  the  day,  they 
disperse  in  the  evening,  and  repose  apart  from  each  other. 
At  day-break,  however,  the  feeling  of  solitude  again  returns, 
and  the  early  sentinel  no  sooner  gives  the  shrill  and  well 
known  call  than  they  all  assemble  in  their  usual  company. 
At  this  time,  they  are  oflen  caught  in  great  numbers  by  the 
fowler,  with  the  assistance  of  a  clap-net,  stretched  before 
2* 


16 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


dawn,  in  front  of  the  place  they  have  selected  to  pass  the 
night.  The  fowlers  now  surrounding  the  spot,  prostrate 
themselves  on  the  ground  when  the  call  is  heard,  and  as 
soon  as  the  birds  are  collected  together,  they  rise  up  from  am- 
bush, and  by  shouts,  and  the  throwing  up  of  sticks  in  the  air, 
succeed  so  far  in  intimidating  the  Plovers  that  they  lower 
their  flight,  and  thus  striking  against  the  net,  it  falls  upon 
them.  In  this,  and  most  other  countries,  their  flesh,  in 
the  autumn,  and  particularly  that  of  the  young  birds,  is 
esteemed  as  a  delicacy,  and  often  exposed  for  sale  in  the 
markets  of  the  principal  towns. 

The  Golden  Plover  is  about  lOi  inches  long,  and  21  in  alar  stretch. 
Bill  and  legs  black.  Upper  plumage  greenish  black,  regularly  spot- 
ted on  the  tips  and  margins  with  lemon  yellow,  the  spots  whitish 
on  the  wing-coverts ;  greater  coverts  and  primaries  unspotted.  Tail 
barred.  Front  and  a  space  above  the  eyes  white,  sides  of  the  neck 
also  white,  but  spotted  with  dusky  and  yellow.  Below  black,  spot- 
ted with  yellow  on  the  sides  of  the  breast  under  the  wing.  At  the 
commencement  and  close  of  the  breeding  season  many  individuals 
are  seen  with  the  under  plumage  varied  with  black  and  white. 


PIPING  RINGED  PLOVER. 


(CharadritismeloduSyOnv.  Bonap.  Synops.  et  Am  Om.  4.  p.  74.  pi. 
24.  fig.  3.  [summer  dress.]  C.  hiaticula,  var.  Wilson,  v.  p.  30. 
pi.  37.  fig.  3.  Phil.  Museum,  No.  4150.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Whitish  ash  color,  tinged  with  brown;  front,  col- 
lar, and  beneath,  white ;  jfrontlet  and  sides  of  the  neck,  beneath 
the  white  collar,  black ;  the  bill  and  feet  orange,  but  the  former 
black  towards  the  tip.  —  Advlt,  with  a  black  frontlet  and  inter- 
rupted neck  ring.  —  Young,  and  autumnal  ?  bird  without  the  dark 
marks  on  the  head  and  neck,  and  with  the  bill  wholly  blackish. 

This  species,  like  the  Semipalmated  Plover,  is  a  common 
inhabitant  of  our  sea  coast,  arriving  in  the  middle  states 


n 


1/ 


PIPING   RINGED   PLOVER. 


n 


^  I'- 


!■:■■ 
■t 


from  their  southern  hybernal  retreats,  towards  the  close  of 
April.  It  does  not,  however,  proceed  so  far  to  the  north, 
but  resides  and  breeds  in  the  United  States,  from  the  shores 
of  New  Jersey  to  Nova  Scotia.  Along  the  low,  sandy,  and 
solitary  borders  of  the  sea,  in  small  scattering  flocks,  they 
are  therefore  seen  throughout  the  summer,  rapidly  coursing 
over  the  strand,  either  in  quest  of  their  food,  or  to  elude  the 
search  of  the  intruding  spectator.  After  gliding  swifUy 
along  for  a  little  distance,  they  often  stop  for  a  short  interval 
to  watch  any  approach,  or  pick  up  some  insect,  occasionally 
bending  forward,  and  jerking  the  head  up  in  a  balancing 
attitude ;  when  still,  their  pale  livery  so  nearly  resembles 
the  color  of  the  sand,  that  for  the  instant,  they  are  rendered 
nearly  invisible.  On  approaching  their  nests,  which  are 
mere  shallow  hollows  in  the  sand  and  gravel,  they  usually 
exhibit  considerable  emotion,  running  along  with  outspread 
wings  and  tail,  and  fluttering  as  if  lame,  to  attract  attention 
from  their  eggs  and  young.  They  will  sometimes  practise 
this  artifice  at  u  considerable  distance  from  their  brood,  and 
often  follow  the  spectator  for  a  mile  or  two,  making  their 
shrill,  mournful,  monotonous  call,  frequently  alighting  and 
running,  with  a  view  to  deception,  near  any  place  which 
happens  to  be  examined ;  and  by  these  reiterated  feints  and 
fears  it  becomes  often  nearly  impossible  to  discover  their 
breeding  haunts.  About  the  20th  of  May,  or  later,  as  they 
proceed  to  the  north,  they  commence  laying,  the  eggs, 
being  about  4,  rather  large,  of  a  pale  cream  color,  or  nearly 
white,  irregularly  spotted  and  blotched  nearly  all  over  with 
blackish-brown,  and  many  subdued  tints  of  a  much  paler 
color.         ?v  V  ;•  i 

The  voice  of  this  species,  uttered  while  running  along 
the  strand,  is  rather  soft  and  musical,  consisting  chiefly  of 
a  single,  varied,  and  repeajted,  plaintive  note.  On  approach- 
ing the  breeding  spot,  they  wheel  around  in  contracting 


do 


WADING  BIRDS. 


circles,  and  become  more  clamorous,  piping  out,  in  a  tone 
of  alarm,  'ke-bee,*  and  keeb,  keeb,  then  falling  off  into  a 
more  feeble  kee-boo,  with  occasionally  a  call  of  kib.  At 
times,  in  the  same  sad  and  wild  accent  with  the  vociferous 
Lapwing,  we  hear  a  cry  of  kee-wee^  and  even  the  same  pai- 
wee,  pee-voo,  and  pai-voo.  When  in  hurry  and  consterna- 
tion, the  cry  resembled  'pit,  'pit,  'pit,  'pt.  Sometimes,  in 
apparent  artifice,  for  the  defence  of  their  tender  brood,  be- 
sides practising  alarming  jestures,  they  even  squeak  like 
young  birds  in  distress. 

The  food  of  this  species  is  quite  similar  with  that  of  the 
Semipalmated  Ring  Plover ;  indeed  the  birds  are  scarcely 
to  be  distinguished  but  by  the  paleness  of  the  plumage  in 
the  present,  and  the  shortness  of  the  web  between  the  ex- 
terior toes.  They  are  usually  fat,  except  in  the  breeding 
season,  and  much  esteemed  as  game. 

The  Piping  Ringed  Plover,  is  nearly  of  the  same  size  as  the  Semi- 
palmated species,  exceeding  it  scarcely  half  an  inch  in  length,  with  the 
bill  of  the  same  two  colors,  and  somewhat  stouter.  The  front,  side  of 
the  face,  a  broad  ring  round  the  neck,  and  the  whole  of  the  lower 
parts  pure  white,  except  the  side  of  the  breast,  which  is  marked  with 
a  broad  and  somewhat  curving  patch  of  black,  never  extending  so 
far  forward  on  the  neck  below  as  to  form  a  continuous  ring.  Another 
patch  of  black  extends  across  the  front  before  and  between  the  eyes. 
Head  and  upper  parts  pale  cinereous,  tinged  with  brown,  lightest  on 
the  head,  and  darkest  on  the  shoulder  of  the  wing.  Primaries,  dusky 
brown,  nearly  white  on  their  inner  webs,  and  with  a  narrow,  white 
patch  along  the  anterior  part  of  the  shafts ',  the  lesser  primaries  white 
towards  the  base,  and  on  the  greater  part  of  the  outer  web ;  the 
greater  coverts  broadly  tipt  with  white ;  secondaries  nearly  white, 
except  at  their  outer  extremities ;  subaxillary  plumage  pure  white. 
Tail  nearly  even,  the  2  outer  lateral  feathers  wholly  white,  (in  the 
male,)  the  succeeding  feather  with  a  dusky  blotch,  and  the  next 
broadly  tipt  with  white,  the  central  feathers  vhite,  tinged  with  brown 
above,  gradually  becoming  dusky  towards  th-ir  extremities.  Eye, 
black,  surrounded  with  a  narrow  ring  of  yellow.    Legs  bright  yel- 


o 


i 


*  The  fint  syllable  uttered  with  a  guttural  lisp 


WILSON  S   PLOVER. 


low,  inclining  to  orange,  claws  black.  —  Young ,  without  any  of  the 
black  marks,  the  cervical  patch  and  whole  head  being  equally  cine- 
reous, and  the  bill  black,  except  towards  the  base. 


M 


WILSON'S  PLOVER. 


Phil. 


(Charadrius  Wilsonius,  Ord.  Wilson,  ix.  p.  77,  pi.  73,  fig.  5. 
Museum,  No.  4159,  [male.]   No.  4160,  [female].) 

Sf. Charact.  —  Olive  ash  color;  front,  collar,  and  beneath  white; 
frontlet,  and  a  broad  ring  around  the  base  of  the  neck,  black ;  bill 
black;  feet  flesh  color. — Mult,  with  a  black  sincipital  band.  —  In 
the  young,  the  band  of  the  hind  head,  with  the  frontlet  and  neck- 
ring  is  dusky.  i 

Of  this  species,  which  sparingly  inhabits  the  middle 
and  Southern  States  during  summer,  very  little  is  yet 
known.  The  specimens,  from  which  the  description  was 
taken,  were  shot  on  the  13th  of  May,  on  the  shore  of  Cape 
Island,  in  New  Jersey,  by  Wilson,  and  possess  much  the 
appearance  of  the  preceding  species.  They  seem  to  have  a 
predilection  for  the  strand  and  the  vicinity  of  the  sea,  and 
probably  nest  and  breed  just  above  the  reach  of  the  summer 
tides.  When  observed,  they  were  heard  to  utter  an  agree- 
able piping  note,  like  most  of  the  birds  of  the  same  section 
to  which  they  belong.  f 

This  species  is  about  7|  inches,  and  15f^  in  alar  stretch.  Front 
broad  and  white,  bounded  by  a  widish  band  of  black ;  the  lores  also 
black.  From  the  middle  of  the  eye  backwards  a  stripe  of  dull  white. 
Above  olive  drab,  the  auriculars  and  nape  tinged  with  rufous  brown. 
Below  white,  with  a  broad  band  of  black  on  the  breast,  preceded 
by  another  of  white.  Quills  brownish  black,  some  of  the  shafts  and 
their  edges  white.  Iris  dark.  Legs  and  feet  flesh  colored ;  claws 
black.  Tail  even,  blackish  olive,  the  two  outer  feathers  whitish. 
Bill  black  and  stout,  an  inch  long,  the  upper  mandible  projecting.  — 
The  female  without  the  black  on  the  forehead,  lores,  or  breast. 


WADING   BIRDS. 


KILDEER  PLOVER. 


■'A 


59. 


(Charadrius  vociferus,  Lin.  Wilson,  Am.  Orn.  vii.  p.  73.  pi. 
fig.  6.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  400.    PJiil.  Museum,  No.  4174.) 

Sp.  Ciiaract.  —  Dark  olive  grey;  front,  collar, and  beneath,  white; 
a  broad  ring  round  the  neck,  and  belt  on  the  breast,  black ;  the 
rump  tawny  orange,  and  the  tail  wedge-formed. 

The  well  known,  restless,  and  noisy  Kildeer  is  a  common 
inhabitant  throughout  the  United  States,  in  nearly  all  parts 
of  which  it  is  known  to  breed,  wintering  however,  generally 
to  the  south  of  Massachusetts.  In  the  interior,  it  also  pene- 
trates to  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi,  the  remote  plains 
of  the  Saskatchewan,*  and  Vieillot  met  with  it  even  in  St. 
Domingo.  On  the  return  of  spring,  it  wanders  from  the 
coast,  to  which  it  had  been  confined  in  winter,  and  its  reit- 
erated and  shrill  cry  is  again  heard  as  it  passes  through  the 
air,  or  as  it  courses  the  shore  of  the  river,  or  the  low  mea- 
dows in  the  vicinity  of  the  sea.  About  the  beginning  of 
May,  it  resorts  to  the  fields,  or  level  pastures,  which  happen 
to  be  diversified  with  pools  of  water,  and  in  such  situations, 
or  the  barren  sandy  downs  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
sea,  it  fixes  upon  a  place  for  its  nest,  which  is  indeed  a 
mere  slight  hollow,  lined  with  such  straw  and  dry  weeds,  as 
come  most  convenient.  In  one  instance,  Wilson  saw  a  nest 
of  the  Kildeer  curiously  paved  and  bordered  with  fragments 
of  clam  and  oyster  shells :  at  other  times  no  vestige  of  an 
artificial  nest  is  visible.  The  eggs  usually  4,  large,  and 
pointed  at  the  smaller  end,  are  of  a  yellowish  cream  color, 
thickly  marked  with  blackish  blotches.  ■    •     '"'.  ^    ■'*: 

At  all  times  noisy  and  querulous  to  a  proverb,  in  the 
breeding  season,  nothing  can  exceed  their  anxiety  and 
alarm ;  and  the  incessant  cry  of  kildeer,  kildeer,  or  te  te  de 


*  Richardson's  Nortliem  Zoology,  Part  II.  p.  368. 


r         1  .  ^  ..    .  t"    ■  :*> 


//i 


■^\-is 


KILDS9R  PLOVER. 


23 


dit,  and  te  dit,  as  they  waft  themselves  about  over  head,  or 
descend,  and  fly  around  you,  is  almost  deafening.  At  the 
same  time,  to  carry  out  this  appearance  of  distress,  they  run 
along  the  ground,  with  hanging  wings,  counterfeiting  lame- 
ness to  divert  the  intention  of  the  intruder.  Indeed  no 
person  can  now  approach  the  breeding  place,  though  at  a 
considerable  distance,  without  being  molested  with  their 
vociferous  and  petulant  clamor.  During  the  evening,  and 
till  a  late  hour,  in  moonlight  nights,  their  cries  are  still 
heard,  both  in  the  fall  and  spring.  They  seek  their  fare  of 
worms  and  insects  often  in  the  twilight,  so  that  their  habits 
are,  in  some  degree  nocturnal,  but  they  also  feed  largely  on 
grasshoppers,  crickets,  carabi,  and  other  kinds  which  fre- 
quent grassy  fields  by  day. 

The  flight  of  the  Kildeer  is  remarkably  vigorous,  and 
they  sometimes  proceed  at  a  great  height  in  the  air.  They 
are  also  fond  of  washing  themselves,  and  wading  in  the 
pools,  which  they  frequent  for  insects;  their  gait  is  per- 
fectly erect,  and  like  most  of  their  tribe,  they  run  with  great 
celerity.  As  game,  their  flesh,  like  that  of  the  Lapwing,  is 
musky,  and  not  generally  esteemed ;  in  the  fall,  however, 
when  fat,  they  are  by  some  considered  as  well  flavored. 
Towards  autumn,  families  descend  to  the  sea  shore,  where 
their  behavior  now  becomes  more  circumspect  and  silent. 

This  species  is  about  10  inches  long,  and  20  in  alar  extent.  Bill 
black.  Fore  part  of  the  crown  ajid  auricular  region,  dark  grey. 
Eyelids  scarlet.  Iris  black.  A  white  stripe  through  and  beyond  the 
eye.  Primaries  blackish,  partly  white  on  t.ic  inner  webs ;  the  secon- 
daries with  an  irregular  blotch  of  white  on  their  outer  vanes ;  the 
greater  coverts  broadly  tipt  with  white.  Rump  and  tail  coverts, 
tawny  orange.  Tail  with  the  2  middle  feathers  dark  grey,  the  next 
tipt  with  tawny,  and  the  outer  ones  with  a  large  indented  spot  of 
white ;  these  are  below  tawny,  and  black  towards  the  extremities ; 
the  outermost  feathers  elegantly  barred  with  black  on  the  inner  web. 
Legs  and  feet,  yellowish-olive.    (Old  female.) 


u 


n 


WADINO  BIRDS. 


t  t  AU  the  toes  connected  at  base  by  a  membrane. 
SEMIPALMATED  RING  PLOVER. 

{Charadriua  semipalmatus,  Bonap.  Synops.  et  Am.  Om.  iv.  p.  92, 
pi.  25.  fig.  4.  [young,]  Tringa  hiatieula,  Wilson,  Am.  Orn.  vii. 
p.  65.  pi.  59.  fig.  3.  [adult  in  spring  dress,]  Phil.  Museum,  No.'4750.) 

8p.  Charact.  —  Dark  brownish-ash;  front,  collar,  and  beneath 
white ;  frontlet,  and  a  ring  round  the  base  of  the  neck,  black ; 
bill  and  semipalmated  feet  orange,  the  former  black  at  tip. — Adutt, 
sincipital  band  and  auriculars  black.  —  In  young  and  autumnal 
birds,  the  neck  ring  is  dusky. 

This  small  species,  so  nearly  related  to  the  Ring  Plover 
of  Europe,  arrives  from  the  south  along  our  sea  coasts,  and 
that  of  the  middle  states,  towards  the  close  of  April,  where 
they  are  seen  feeding  and  busily  collecting  their  insect  fare, 
until  the  close  of  May.  They  then  disappear  on  their  way 
farther  north  to  breed,  and  in  the  summer  are  even  observed 
as  far  as  the  icy  shores  of  Greenland.  According  to  Rich- 
ardson, they  abound  in  Arctic  America  during  the  summer, 
and  breed  in  similar  situations  with  the  Golden  Plover. 
IVIr.  Hutchins  adds,  its  eggs,  generally  4,  are  dark  colored, 
and  spotted  with  black.  The  aborigines  say,  that  on  the 
approach  of  stormy  wea,ther,  this  species  utters  a  chirping 
noise,  and  claps  its  wings,  as  if  influenced  by  some  instinct- 
ive excitement.  The  same,  or  a  very  similar  species,  is 
also  met  with  in  the  larger  West  India  islands,  and  in  Bra- 
zil, according  to  the  rude  figure  and  imperfect  description 
of  Piso. 

The  early  commencement  of  inclement  weather,  in  the 
cold  regions  selected  for  the  breeding  haunts  of  this  species, 
induces  them  to  migrate  to  the  south,  as  soon  as  their  only 
brood  have  acquired  strength  for  their  indispensable  journey. 
Flocks  of  the  old  and  young  are  thus  seen  in  the  vicinity  of 
Boston,  by  the  close  of  the  first  week  in  August,  and  they 


\ 


■5    (1 


r 


SEMIPALMATBD   RING   PLOVER.  <|g 

have  been  observed  on  the  shores  of  the  Cumberland,  in 
Tennessee,  by  the  9th  of  September. 

The  Semipalmated  Ring  Plover,  though  so  well  suited  for 
an  almost  aquatic  life,  feeds  on  land  as  well  as  marine  insects, 
collecting  weavels,  and  other  kinds,  and  very  assiduously 
coursing  the  strand  at  low  water.  In  general,  when  not 
too  eagerly  hunted,  they  are  but  little  suspicious,  and  may 
readily  be  approached  by  the  fowler,  as  well  as  detained 
sometimes  by  whistling  in  imitation  of  their  quailing  call. 
On  most  occasions,  and  when  flushed,  they  utter  a  reiter- 
ated, sharp,  twittering  and  wild  note,  very  much  in  unison 
with  the  ceaseless  echoes  of  the  breaking  surge,  and  the 
lashing  of  the  waves,  near  which  they  almost  perpetually 
course,  gliding  and  running  with  great  agility  before  the 
retiring  or  advancing  waters.  This  species  is  commonly 
fat  and  well  flavored,  and  in  early  autumn,  not  uncommon 
in  the  markets  of  Boston  and  New  York. 

The  American  Ring  Plover  is  about  8  inches  in  length,  and  14 
in  alar  extent.  Front  and  chin  white,  the  same  color  encircling  the 
neck ;  a  narrowish  ring  around  the  upper  part  of  the  breast,  black ; 
becoming  broader  at  the  sides ;  all  below  white.  Fore  part  of  the 
crown  black ;  a  band  of  the  same  color  extending  from  the  upper 
mandible,  and  covering  the  auriculars.  Back,  scapulars,  and  wing- 
coverts  of  a  brownish  ash-color.  Primaries,  dusky,  marked  with  a 
line  of  white  along  the  centre  of  the  shafts,  the  inner  webs  nearly 
wh^^e.  Tail,  olive,  deepening  into  black,  and  tipt  with  white ;  the 
outermost  lateral  feather  white,  and  the  3  next  broadly  tipt  with  the 
same  color :  the  outermost  feather,  in  the  female  f  with  a  shaded 
dusky  blotch.  Iris  dark  hazel ;  the  eyelids  yellow.  —  In  yvang  birds 
the  neck  ring,  and  fore  part  of  the  head  is  dusky.  Wing  coverts 
and  scapulars  edged  very  slightly  with  yellowish  white.  The  tail 
as  in  the  adult.        r-.- -  ■-.'.  ;x!,-n 


26 


l?"*!"' 


WADINO   BIROS. 


■\*  \- 


\A 


Subgenus.  —  Sqvatarola.    (Cuvier.)    Vanellus, 

(Brisson,  Sfc.) 

With  the  feet  4  toed;  the  hind  toe  very  small. 

Obs.  — This  species  connects  the  true  Plovers  with  the  Lapwings, 
the  latter  of  which  are  unknown  in  the  United  States.  —  The  habits 
of  these  birds  are  altogether  similar  with  those  of  the  Plovers. 


,   U' 


BLACK-BELLIED,  or  SWISS  PLOVER. 

(Charadrius  helveticus,  Bonap.  Tringa  helvetica,  Lin.  Charadrius 
apricarius,  Wilson,  vii.  p.  41.  pi.  57.  fig.  4.  Vanellus  helveticus, 
Brisson.  V.  melanogaster,  Bechstein.  Tehminck,  d'Ornithologie, 
ii.  p.  547.    Phil.  Museum,  No.  4196.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Spotted;  long  axillary  feathers,  black.  —  Summer 
plumage,  spotted,  with  black  and  white ;  beneath  black. —  Winter 
plumage, spotted  black  and  yellow;  beneath  inclining  to  white. — 
Young  and  moulting  individuals,  below  varied  with  black  and 
whitish. 

The  Black-Bellied,  or  large  Whistling  Field  Plover,  is 
met  with  in  most  parts  of  the  northern  hemisphere,  hvA  in 
America  is  known  to  breed  from  the  open  grounds  of  Penn- 
sylvania to  the  very  extremity  of  the  arctic  regions.  It  is 
common  around  Hudson's  Bay,  Greenland,  Iceland,  and  in 
all  the  inclement  parts  of  Siberia,  they  also  abound  in  the 
spring  in  the  plains  of  Ostrabothnia,  in  Lapland.  It  is 
likewise  believed  to  breed  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland. 
How  far  they  extend  their  migrations  to  the  south  is  not 
satisfactorily  ascertained,  though  there  is  little  doubt  but 
that  they  spread  themselves  to  the  confines  of  Mexico,  and 
they  have  been  seen  in  considerable  numbers  in  Louisiana 
and  Carolina,  during  the  winter.  According  to  Wilson, 
they  generally  begin  to  visit  the  inland  parts  of  Pennsylva- 
nia in  the  latter  end  of  April,  and  less  timid  than  the  Golden 


IS 

in 

mn* 
is 


i  ■; 


, 


BLACK-BELLIED,    OR   SWISS   PLOVER. 


r, 


Plover,  it  oflen  selects  the  plowed  field  for  the  site  of  its 
nest,  where  the  ordinary  fare  of  earth  worms,  larvee,  beetles, 
and  winged  insects  now  abound.  The  nest,  as  in  most  of 
the  birds  of  this  class,  is  very  slightly  and  quickly  made  of 
a  few  blades  of  stubble  or  withered  grass,  in  which  are 
generally  deposited  four  eggs,  large  for  the  size  of  the  bird, 
(being  scarcely  a  line  short  of  two  inches  in  length,)  of  a 
cream  color  slightly  inclining  to  olive,  and  speckled  nearly 
all  over  with  small  spots  and  blotches  of  lightish  brown,  and 
others  of  a  subdued  tint,  bordering  on  lavender  purple ;  the 
specks,  as  usual,  more  numerous  towards  the  large  end.  In 
the  more  temperate  parts  of  the  United  States,  they  have 
oflen  two  broods  in  the  season,  though  only  one  in  Massa- 
chusetts, where  indeed,  their  nests  are  of  rare  occurrence. 
During  the  summer,  the  young  and  old  now  feed  much 
upon  various  kinds  of  berries,  particularly  those  of  the  early 
bramble,  called  dew-berries,  and  their  flesh  at  this  time  is 
highly  esteemed.  About  the  last  week  in  August,  the  Betel- 
Headed  Plovers,  (as  they  are  called  in  New  England,) 
descend  with  their  young  to  the  borders  of  the  sea  coast, 
where  they  assemble  in  great  numbers  from  all  their  northern 
breeding  places,  now  passing  an  unsettled  and  roving  life, 
without  any  motive  to  local  attachment,  they  crowd  to  such 
places  as  promise  them  the  easiest  and  surest  means  of  sub- 
sistence ;  at  this  time  small  shell-fish,  shrimps  and  other 
minute  marine  animals,  as  well  as  the  grasshoppers,  which 
abound  in  the  fields,  constitute  their  principal  fare. 

They  are  at  all  times  extremely  shy  and  watchful,  utter- 
ing a  loud,  rather  plaintive,  whistling  note  as  they  fly  high 
and  circling  in  the  air,  and  are  so  oflen  noisy,  particularly 
in  the  breeding  season,  as  to  have  acquired  among  many  of 
the  gunners  along  the  coast,  the  name  of  the  Black-Bellied 
Kildeer.  From  a  supposed  similarity,  probably  in  the  note, 
it  is  remarkable,  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  Ferro  Islands, 


W  .       ;.    >        WADINO   BIRDS. 

denominate  the  Oyster-Catcher,  kielder,  and  in  Iceland,  the 
male  is  named  tilldur,  and  the  female  tiUdra.  Indeed  the 
compass  of  voice  in  a  gr(!iil  portion  of  this  tribe  of  birds, 
more  or  less  related  to  the  Plovers,  is  remarkable  for  its  sim- 
ilarity. The  Betel-Headed  Plovers,  usually  linger  round  the 
sea  coast  in  the  Middle  States,  till  the  commencement  of  No- 
vember, when  the  frosts  beginning  sensibly  to  diminish  their 
prospect  of  subsistence,  they  instinctively  move  off  towards 
the  south,  proceeding  probably,  at  this  time,  under  the  shade 
of  twilight,  as  moving  flocks  are  no  where,  as  far  as  I  can 
learn,  seen  by  day.  About  the  middle  of  September  in  the 
marshes  of  Chelsea,  (Mass.)  contiguous  to  the  beach,  they 
sometimes  assemble  at  day  break,  in  flocks  of  more  than  a 
thousand  individuals  together,  and  soon  after  disperse  them- 
selves in  companies  to  feed  on  the  shores,  upon  small  shell-fish 
and  marine  insects.  This  crowding  instinct,  takes  place  a 
short  time  previous  to  their  general  migration  southward. 

The  length  of  this  species  is  about  12  inches,  and  23  in  alar  extent. 
Winter  plumage  of  both  sexes.  —  Front,  throat,  abdomen,  thighs, 
and  upper  tail  coverts,  white.  Eyebrows,  fore  part  of  the  neck,  sides 
of  the  breast  and  flanks,  white,  mottled  with  cinereous  and  brown- 
ish spots.  Upper  parts  of  a  blackish  brown,  varied  with  spots  of 
greenish  yellow,  but  all  the  feathers  fringed  with  cinereous  and  whit- 
ish. Long  axillary  feathers,  deep  brownish  black.  Lower  tail  coverts 
with  narrow  diagonal  dusky  bands  upon  their  outer  barbs.  Tail 
white,  but  somewhat  rufous  towards  the  extremity,  marked  with  a 
few  pale  dusky  bands  on  the  lateral  feathers.  Bill,  legs,  and  iris 
black.  Hind  toe  very  small,  armed  with  a  minute  nail.  Bill  longer 
and  stouter  than  in  the  Golden  Plover.  —  Spring  and  breeding  plum- 
age of  both  sexes.  A  space  between  the  eye,  the  bill,  throat,  sides 
and  forepart  of  the  neck,  middle  of  the  breast,  belly  and  flanks,  deep 
brownish-black.  The  front,  a  wide  band  above  the  eyes,  sides  of  the 
neck,  and  of  the  chest,  thighs,  and  abdomen  white ;  the  nuchal  region 
spotted  with  brown,  black,  and  white.  Hind-head,  back,  scapulars, 
and  wing  coverts  dusky,  the  feathers  all  broadly  terminated  with 
white  tips.     On  the  great  coverts  and  scapulars,  large  white  spots. 


".. 


.\:.-ii^ 


<» 


TURNSTONE.  .    J^ 

Middle  tail  featheri  banded  with  black  and  white,  the  lateral  ones 
nearly  all  white.  Bastard  wing,  primaries,  and  their  coverts,  black- 
ish-brown, the  latter  tipt  with  white  ;  middle  of  the  quill  shafls,  and 
of  the  outer  weba  of  the  Gth  and  succeeding  primaries,  as  well  as 
the  bases  and  borders  of  the  secondaries,  white. 

Obs.— We,  as  well  as  Dr.  Richardson,  have  never  seen  birds  in 
the  summer  plumage,  with  the  yellow  spots  on  the  dorsal  feathers, 
figured  by  Wilson. 


5P 


r 


TURNSTONE.     (Strepsilus,  Illig.) 

In  these  birds  the  bill  is  shorter  than  the  head,  robust,  hard, 
straight,  in  the  form  of  an  attenuated  cone,  compressed,  flattish  above, 
and  truncated  at  the  point ;  upper  mandible  slightly  recurved  from 
the  middle.  Nostrils  basal,  lateral,  long,  and  pervious,  half  closed 
by  a  membrane.  Feet  rather  short,  four-toed ;  a  very  small  part 
of  the  tibia  bare ;  toes  with  a  narrow  margin,  divided  to  their  origin, 
the  hind  toe  touching  the  ground.  Wings  long  and  acuminated ; 
the  Ist  primary  longest.  Toil  rather  short,  consisting  of  twelve 
feathers.  i  7    ' 

This  genus  comprehends  only  a  single  species  common  to  all  the 
world.  Like  the  Sandpipers,  with  which  they  have  usually  been 
united,  they  are  almost  entirely  maritime,  following  the  retreating 
waves,  and  gleaning  at  the  ebb  of  the  tide,  the  various  marine  insects, 
and  small  shell-fish,  which  constitute  their  food.  As  may  be  sup- 
posed, from  their  name,  they  have  a  peculiar  habit  of  dexterously 
turning  over  considerable  stones  with  their  bills,  in  quest  of  their 
insect  prey.  The  sexes  are  scarcely  distinguishable  by  any  differ- 
ence of  plumage,  and  effect  their  moult  half  yearly.  The  young, 
however,  differ  much  from  the  adult,  and  change  repeatedly  until 
the  third  year. 


if     ■. -'*  '     ■' 


■  il 


•m 


u 


jr-^'^^^r 


TURNSTONE,  or  SEA  DOTTEREL. 

{Strepsiltis  interpres,  Illig.  S.  collaris,  Temm.  Tringa  interpret, 
Wilson,  vii.  p.  32.  pi.  57.  fig.  1.  [adult.]  Phil.  Museiun,  No.  4044.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Throat,  rump,  and  base  of  the  tail,  white;  bill 
black;  the  feet  orange  red. — Advlt,  •vaxieA  with  black,  ferrugin- 
ous and  white ;  breast  black ;  belly  white.  —  The  young  are  dusky, 
varied  with  pale  ferruginous  and  some  white ;  breast  dusky,  and 
mottled. 

Thth  singular  marine  bird  is  not  only  common  to  the 
whole  northern  hemisphere,  but  extends  its  colonies  even  to 
Senegal  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  in  the  southern  half 
of  the  globe.  Their  favorite  breeding  resorts  are,  however, 
confined  to  the  inclement  regions  of  the  north,  to  which 
they  are  in  no  haste  to  return,  but  linger  along  the  coast  in 
the  temperate  climates  for  several  months,  before  they  attain 
to  the  remote  and  desolate  shores  of  their  nativity.  Their 
southern  progress  in  America,  is  in  all  probability  continued 
as  far  as  the  tropics,  since  their  race  even  extends  itself  into 
the  other  hemisphere.  Buffon,  in  fact,  figures  a  specimen 
of  the  young  Lird  from  Cayenne.      In  New  Jersey,  accord- 


TURNSTONE,  OR  SEA  DOTTEREL 


m 


ing  to  Wilson,  they  arrive  in  the  month  of  April,  and  there 
linger  until  June,  very  soon  after  which  they  are  seen  at 
their  breeding  quarters,  on  the  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay,  and 
along  the  desolate  strand  of  the  Arctic  Sea,  where  they  have 
been  met  with  by  the  Northern  navigators,  as  far  as  the  75th 
parallel.  They  already  begin  to  depart  from  these  remote 
boreal  regions  in  August,  in  which  month,  and  even  towards 
the  close  of  July,  1  have  seen  young  birds  for  sale  in  the 
market  of  Boston.  They  visit  the  shores  of  Great  Britain 
also  about  the  same  time,  arriving  thence  probably  from  the 
arctic  shores  of  Siberia.  Five  or  six  weeks  later,  they  are 
observed  to  visit  the  borders  of  the  Delaware,  and  proceed 
onward  to  the  south  as  the  weather  increases  in  coldness. 
The  most  southern  summer  residence  of  this  species  known, 
if  Mr.  Fleming  be  correct,  is  the  Scottish  isle  of  'Zetland. 
They  are  also  said  to  inhabit  the  isles  of  the  Baltic  during 
summer.  In  a  mere  depression  of  the  sand  or  gravel,  along 
the  sea  coast,  it  is  said  to  drop  its  eggs,  which  are  four  in 
number,  and  according  to  Mr.  Hutchins,  are  of  an  olive 
green,  spotted  with  blackish  brown. 

It  is  naturally  of  a  wild  and  solitary  disposition,  coursing 
along  the  shore  by  pairs,  or  in  small  families  which  have 
been  bred  together.  In  the  months  of  May  and  June,  in 
New  Jersey,  they  almost  wholly  feed  upon  the  spawn  of  the 
King-Crab,  or  Horse-Foot,  (Monoculus  poli/phemus,  Lin.) 
which  affords  them  and  other  animals  an  abundant  and 
almost  inexhaustible  supply. 

The  Turnstone,  while  flyinjv,  often  utters  a  loud  twitter- 
ing note,  and  runs  at  times  with  its  wings  lowered,  but  is 
less  swift  in  its  movements  than  most  of  the  Sandpipers, 
and  more  patient  and  intent  in  obtaining  its  fare.  Like 
the  Woodpeckers  it  is  content  to  search  over  the  same  place 
for  a  considerable  length  of  time ;  the  mechanism  of  its  bill 
seems  well  provided  for  this  purpose,  and  it  is  often  seen  in 


-»«—»«, 


32 


WADING   BIRDS. 


L 


this  way  turning  over  stones  and  pebbles,  from  side  to  side, 
in  search  of  various  marine  worms  and  insects.  The  young 
feed  also  upon  shrimps  and  different  kinds  of  small  shell- 
fish, particularly  minute  muscles  which  are  occasionally  cast 
up  by  the  tides.  According  to  Catesby,  this  habit,  of  turn- 
ing over  stones  in  quest  of  insects,  is  retained  by  the  species 
even  when  subjected  to  domestication. 

The  length  of  the  Turnstone  is  about  lOi  inches.  Mvlt,  with  a  large 
spot  on  the  lores,  the  upper  sincipital  band,  which  is  prolonged  over 
the  eye,  borders  the  ears,  and  meets  with  a  second  on  the  nape,  the 
upper  half  and  sides  of  the  neck,  the  rump,  longest  tail  coverts,  tips 
of  the  greater  wing  coverts,  bases  of  the  quills,  base  and  tip  of  the 
tail,  the  chin,  belly,  under  tail  coverts,  and  insides  of  the  wings, 
white.  Feathers  of  the  crown  black,  with  white  borders.  The  base 
of  the  neck  above  the  back,  scapulars,  tertiaries,  and  middle  rows  of 
lesser  covers,  chestnut  brown,  blotched  with  black.  Upper  border  of 
the  wing,  greater  coverts,  and  quills  dark  clove  brown.  Shorter  tail 
coverts,  outer  half  of  the  tail,  lower  sincipital  band,  that  passes  under 
the  eye  and  spreads  over  the  cheeks,  a  stripe  from  the  rictus  along 
the  sid^  of  the  throat,  the  fore  part  of  the  neck,  breast,  and  shoulders, 
velvet  black.  Bill,  black;  legs,  orange.  —  The  young  of  the  year 
have  no  trace  either  of  black  or  chestnut.  Head  and  nucha  of  a 
cinereous  brown,  barred  with  deeper  brown ;  white  spots  upon  the 
sides  of  the  head  and  neck ;  throat  and  fore  part  of  the  neck  whitish ; 
the  featners  on  the  sides  of  the  breast,  of  a  deep  brown,  with  whitish 
tips ;  the  other  lower  parts  as  well  as  the  back,  white ;  upper  part 
of  the  back,  scapulars  and  wing  coverts  of  a  deep  brown,  the  feathers 
widely  surrounded  with  yellowish  borders ;  the  transversal  band  of 
the  rump  dark  brown,  bordered  with  ferruginous.  Feet  yellowish 
red.  The  black  and  white  appears  more  regularly  disposed,  as  the 
bird  advances  in  age.  This  state  of  plumage  constitutes  the  Tringa 
morinella,  Lin.  Cotdond-chaud  de  Cayenne,  and  Covlond-chaudgris, 
BuFFON,  Ois.  PL  Enlum,340  and  857,  two  specimens  of  the  young  of 
the  year.  —  The  young,  when  a  year  old,  have  the  wide  patch  or  collar 
on  the  forepart  of  the  neck  and  upon  the  sides  of  the  breast,  indi- 
cated by  black  feathers,  edged  with  narrow  whitish  borders.  The 
cheeks  and  front  mottled  with  black,  upon  a  whitish  ground.  Th© 
summit  of  the  head  and  nucha,  brown,  spotted  with  blackish  shades 


^      CRANES. 


33 


of  the  same.  Back,  scapulars,  and  wing  coverts,  dusky ;  the  feathers 
Burrounded  with  rufous  borders.  A  large  black  spot  upon  the  outer- 
most tail  feathers,  the  rest  of  the  plumage  as  in  the  adults. 


fKH~''?<5^*'^  ^i'^'^-'^-»"^ 


CRANES.     (Grus,    Pallas,  8fc.) 

In  these  birds  the  bill  is  about  the  length,  or  somewhat  longer 
than  the  head,  it  is  strong,  straight,  compressed,  attenuated  at  the 
point,  which  is  somewhat  obtuse  ;  the  mandibles  with  a  wide  furrow 
on  either  side  at  the  base,  ridge  of  the  bill  elevated.  Nostrils  situ- 
ated in  a  furrow,  in  the  middle  of  the  bill,  pervious,  posteriorly 
closed  by  a  membrane.  Region  of  the  eyes,  and  the  base  of  the  bill, 
oflen  naked  or  warty.  Feet  long  and  robust,  naked  for  a  large  space 
above  the  knees,  the  middle  toe  united  to  the  outer  by  a  rudimental 
membrane,  the  inner  one  divided,  the  hinder  toe  articulated  high 
on  the  tarsus.  Wings  of  moderate  dimensions,  1st  and  5th  prima- 
ries about  equal ;  the  2d,  3d,  and  4th  longest ;  secondaries  broader 
and  wider  than  the  primaries ;  the  tertials  arched  and  much  elon- 
gated.    The  tail  short,  of  12  feathers. 

The  food  of  this  family  of  birds  is  various,  and  besides  insects,  rep- 
tiles, worms  and  fish,  some  species  likewise  frequent  ploughed  and 
newly  planted  fields  to  pick  up  seeds,  as  well  as  living  prey.  They 
dwefU  in  fields,  marshes,  and  frequent  the  margins  of  ponds,  but 
always  roost  in  trees,  where  they  also  nest,  as  well  as  on  the  ground, 
though  the  European  species,  useful,  familiar  and  venerated,  oflen 
selects  the  roofs  of  deserted  houses  for  its  eyry.  When  incuba- 
tion commences,  the  nest  is  raised  to  the  height  of  the  body  with 
grass  and  reeds ;  they  are  said  to  lay  but  2  eggs,  on  which  each 
alternately  brood  in  a  standing  posture,  while  the  other  keeps  a  care- 
ful watch.  They  migrate  in  vast  flocks,  and  perform  very  extensive 
periodical  journeys,  passing  along  oflen  out  of  sight  in  the  higher 
regions  of  the  atmosphere,  moving  in  the  night,  in  troops  arranged 
in  long  triangular  lines,  at  the  shrill  voice  of  their  leader,  which  re- 
echoed by  the  timorous  and  unseen  ranks,  affords  oflen  the  only 
indication  of  the  course  of  their  passage.  Subject  to  less  excite- 
ment, they  pass  along  silently  an4  at  a  great  elevation  in  fine 
weather,  but  lower  their  flight,  and  become  clamorous,  at  the  ap- 
proach, or  during  the  existence  of  a  storm.    Species  inhabit  both 


WADING   BIRDS. 


continents.  The  sexes  are  scarcely  distinguishable  from  each  other 
in  their  plumage;  but  the  young  differ  much  from  the  old  until 
the  third  year.  The  remarkable  compass  of  their  sonorous  voice  is 
attributed  to  the  peculiar  formation  of  the  windpipe,  which  enters 
the  keel  of  the  sternum  or  breast-bone  into  a  cavity  for  its  reception, 
from  whence  it  returns  after  being  twice  reflected. 


WHOOPING  CRANE.         *      -   >  - 

(Grus  americana,  Temm.  Bonap,  Ardea  americana.  Wilson, 
viii.  p.  20,  pi.  64,  fig.  3.  [adult  male.]  Buff.  PI.  Enlum.  889. 
Phil.  Museum,  No.  3704.)  'M «!*.   ^ 

Sp.  Charact.  —  White;   primaries  black,  and  with  black  shafts; 
the  whole  crown  and  cheeks  bald.  —  The  young,  tawny. 

This  stately  Crane,  the  largest  of  all  the  feathered  tribes 


WHOOPINO   CRANE. 


35 


19. 


3S 


in  the  United  States,  like  the  rest  of  its  family,  dwelling 
amidst  marshes,  and  dark  and  desolate  swamps,  according  to 
the  season,  is  met  with  in  almost  every  part  of  North  Amer- 
ica,  from  the  islands  of  the  West  Indies,  to  which  it  retires 
to  pass  the  winter,  to  the  utmost  habitable  regions  and  fur- 
countries  of  the  north.  A  few  hybernate  in  the  warmer 
parts  of  the  Union,  and  some  have  been  known  to  linger 
through  the  whole  of  the  inclement  season  in  the  swamps 
of  New  Jersey,  near  to  Cape  May.  When  discovered 
in  their  retreats,  they  are  observed  wandering  along  the 
marshes  and  muddy  flats  near  the  sea-shore,  in  quest  of 
reptiles,  fish,  and  marine  worms.  Occasionally  they  are 
seen  sailing  along  from  place  to  place  with  a  heavy,  silent 
flight,  elevated  but  little  above  the  surface  of  the  earth. 
Ever  wary,  and  stealing  from  the  view  of  all  observers, 
these  gaunt  shades  of  something  which  constantly  avoids 
the  social  light,  impress  the  mind  no  less  with  curiosity  than 
aversion,  and  it  is  surprising,  that  furtive  and  inharmonious 
as  owls,  they  have  not  excited  the  prejudice  of  the  super- 
stitious. ^  ■:-■---■•    "'"•■''■■   V     :!  .  ,  ,'^-'=,-;;>  ..*•;•;    's%',i 

At  times  they  utter  a  loud,  clear,  and  piercing  cry,  that 
may  be  heard  to  a  very  considerable  distance,  and  which, 
being  not  unaptly  compared  to  the  whoop  or  yell  of  the 
savages  when  rushing  to  battle,  has  conferred  upon  our  bird 
his  peculiar  appellation.  Other  species  of  the  genus  possess 
also  the  same  sonorous  cry.  When  wounded  they  attack 
those  who  approach  them  with  considerable  vigor,  so  much 
so  as  to  have  been  known  to  dart  their  sharp  and  dagger- 
like bill  through  the  incautious  hand  held  out  for  their  cap- 
ture. Indeed,  according  to  Dr.  Richardson,  they  have 
sometimes  driven  the  fowler  fairly  out  of  the  field. 

In  the  winter  season,  dispersed  from  their  native  haunts 
in  quest  of  subsistence,  they  are  often  seen  prowling  in  the 
low  grounds,  and  rice  fields  of  the  Southern  States  in  quest 


36 


WADING   BIRDS. 


of 


insects,  gram,  and  reptiles;  they  swallow  also  mice, 
moles,  rats,  and  frogs  with  great  avidity,  and  may  therefore 
be  looked  upon,  at  least,  as  very  useful  scavengers.  They 
are  also,  at  times,  killed  as  game,  their  flesh  being  well 
flavored,  as  they  do  not  subsist  so  much  upon  fish  as 
many  other  birds  of  this  family.  It  is  with  difficulty, 
however,  that  they  can  be  approached,  or  shot,  as  they 
are  so  remarkably  shy  and  vigilant.  They  build  their  nests 
on  the  ground,  after  the  manner  of  the  common  Crane 
of  Europe,  selecting  a  tussock  cf  long  grass,  in  some 
secluded  and  solitary  swamp,  raising  its  sides  to  suit  their 
convenience,  so  as  to  sit  upon  it  with  extended  legs.  The 
eggs  are  two  in  number,  as  large  as  those  of  the  swan,  and 
of  a  bluish  white  color,  blotched  with  brown. 

The  Whooping  Crane  rises  with  difficulty  from  the  ground, 
flying  low  for  a  time,  and  thus  affording  an  easy  mark  for 
the  sportsman.     At  other  times  they  fly  around  in  wide  cir- 
cles, as  if  f econnoitering  the  surrounding  country  for  fresh 
feeding  ground ;  occasionally  they  rise  spirally  into  the  air 
to  a  great  height,  mingling  their  screaming  voices  together, 
Tvhich  are  still  so  loud,  when  they  are  almost  out  of  sight, 
as  to  resemble  a  pack  of  hounds  in  full  cry.     Early  in  Feb- 
ruary,  Wilson  met  with  several  of  these  Cranes  in  South 
Carolina ;  at  the  same  season,  and  in  the  early  part  of  the 
following  month,  I  heard  their  clamorous  cries  nearly  every 
morning  around  the  enswamped  ponds  of  West  Florida,  and 
throughout  Georgia,  so  that  many  individuals  probably  pass 
either  the  winter  or  the  whole  year  in  the  southern  extrem- 
ity of  the  Union. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  clamor  of  one  of  these 
roosting  flocks,  which  they  begin  usually  to  utter  about 
sunrise.  Like  the  Howling  Monkeys  or  Preachers  of 
South  America,  (as  they  are  called,)  a  single  individual 
seemed  at  first  as  if  haranguing,  or  calling  out  to  the  assem- 


1 1 


'/. , 


W  :l 


VTHOOPINO   CRANE. 


37 


sm- 


bled  company,  and  after  uttering  a  round  number  of  discord- 
ant, sonorous,  and  braying  tones,  the  address  seemed  as 
if  received  with  becoming  applause,  and  was  seconded  with 
a  reiteration  of  jingling  and  trumpeting  hurras.  The  idea 
conveyed  by  this  singular  association  of  sounds,  was  so 
striking,  quaint,  and  ludicrous,  that  I  could  never  hear  it 
without  smiling  at  the  conceit.  Captain  Amidas,  (the  first 
Englishman  who  ever  set  foot  in  North  America)  thus  graphi- 
cally describes  their  clamor,  on  his  landing  on  the  isle  of 
Wokokou,  off  the  coast  of  North  Carolina,  in  the  month 
of  July, "  Such  a  flock  of  Cranes  (the  most  part  white)  arose 
under  us,  with  such  a  cry,  redoubled  by  many  echoes,  as  if  an 
army  of  men  had  showted  all  together."  But  though  this 
display  of  their  discordant  calls  may  be  amusing,  the  bustle 
of  their  great  migrations,  and  the  passage  of  their  mighty 
armies  fills  the  mind  with  wonder.  In  the  month  of  De- 
cember, 1811,  while  leisurely  descending  on  the  bosom  of 
the  Mississippi,  in  one  of  the  trading  boats  of  that  period,  I 
had  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  one  of  these  vast  migra- 
tions of  the  Whooping  Cranes,  assembled  by  many  thou- 
sands from  all  the  marshes  and  impassable  swamps  of  the 
north  and  west.  The  whole  continent  seemed  as  if  giving 
up  its  quota  of  the  species  to  swell  the  mighty  host.  Their 
flight  took  place  in  the  night,  down  the  great  aerial  valley 
of  the  river,  whose  southern  course  conducted  them  every 
instant  towards  warmer  and  more  hospitable  climes.  The 
clangor  of  these  numerous  legions,  passing  along,  high  in 
the  air,  seemed  almost  deafening ;  the  confused  cry  of  the 
vast  army  continued,  with  the  lengthening  procession,  and 
as  the  vocal  call  continued  nearly  throughout  the  whole 
night,  without  intermission,  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the 
immensity  of  the  numbers  now  assembled  on  their  annual 
journey  to  the  regions  of  the  soulh.  .  .    ^. ., 

4  '.;.-.,   -^   .-    ■ 


38 


WADING   BIRDS. 


The  following,  elegant  poetic  description  of  the  annual 
migration  of  the  Crane  of  Europe,  is  perfectly  applicable  to 
the  instinct  of  our  species : 

Part  loosely  wing  the  region,  part  more  wise, 

In  common,  ranged  in  figure  (>  )  wedge  their  way, 

Intelligent  of  seasons,  and  set  forth 

Their  aery  caravan,  high  over  seas 

Flying,  and  over  lands  with  mutual  wing,  'i'-^:  . ." 

Easing  their  flight;  so  steers  the  prudent  Crane         '  -' '  '<^>i 

xiet  annual  voyage,  borne  on  winds,  the  air 

Flotes,  as  they  pass,  fann'd  with  unnumber'd  plumes.  * 

The  Whooping  Crane  is  about  4  feet  or  upwards  in  length,  and 
when  standing  erect,  measures  nearly  5  feet.  The  bill  is  wax  yellow, 
6  inches  in  length,  and  an  inch  and  a  half  in  thickness.  Iris  yellow. 
The  forehead,  whole  crown,  and  cheeks  are  covered  with  a  dull 
orange  colored  warty  skin,  thinly  interspersed  with  black  hairs. 
Hind  head,  ash  color ;  the  rest  of  the  plumage  pure  white,  except 
the  primaries,  which  are  brownish  black ;  from  the  base  of  each 
wing  arises  numerous  large  flowing  feathers,  which  project  over  the 
txil  and  tips  of  the  wings,  some  of  them  are  loosely  webbed  like  the 
feathers  of  the  Ostrich.  The  legs  and  naked  part  of  the  thighs  are 
black.    The  hind  toe  articulated  too  high  to  reach  the  ground. 


BROWN  CRANE.  "  f 

{Grus canadensis,TEMM.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  225.  Gf.  /««oa,  ViEitt. 
Ardea  canadensis,  Forste-r.)    '^.  ,,>,,,, _,;f^i. 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Cinereous;  wings  varied  with  testaceous;  prima- 
ries brown,  with  white  shafts ;  anterior  portion  of  the  head  bald. 

This  species,  scarcely  inferior  to  the  preceding  in  mag- 
nitude, visits  all  parts  of  the  fur  countries  in  summer,  up  to 
the  shores  of  the  Arctic  sea ;  and  is  indeed,  according  to 
the  season,  spread  more  or  less  throughout  North  America, 

*  Milton's  Paradiw  Lost,  Rook  7,  line  435,  et  seq. 


'(, 


^    HERONS.  8P 

having  been  observed  in  Mexico,  Louisiana,  and  Florida. 
It  also  probably  breeds  in  the  interior  of  the  continent, 
as  Major  Long  saw  it  in  the  Illinois  country,  on  the  15th 
of  July.  As  early  as  the  7th  of  ~  joruary,  Kalm  observed 
them  passing  over  New  Jersey  anil  Pennsylvania,  on  their 
way  either  to  the  north  or  west,  but  *..  *  ^  Atlantic  coast 
has  become  more  settled  and  populous,  these  shy  birds  have, 
for  the  most  part,  altered  their  route,  and  now  proceed  more 
within  the  wilder  interior  of  the  continent.  In  May,  they 
are  seen  about  Hudson's  Bay,  and  like  the  Whooping  Crane, 
which  they  resemble  in  manners,  they  nest  on  the  ground, 
laying  two  eggs,  of  an  oil  green,  irregularly,  and  rather 
thickly  spotted  with  yellowish  brown  and  umber,  the  spots 
confluent  and  dark  on  the  greater  end.  The  flesh  is  ac- 
counted good  food,  resembling  that  of  the  Swan  (Cygnus 
buccinator)  in  flavor. 

This  species  is  about  48  inches  long,  of  which  the  bill,  measured 
from  above,  is  4J^  inches;  the  bill,  however,  varies  in  size.  The 
general  color  yellowish  grey ;  the  dorsal  plumage  glossed  with  fer- 
ruginous. Neck  above,  ash  colored;  cheeks  and  throat  brownish 
white.  Primaries  blackish  brown;  their  shafls  white.  All  the 
upper  surface  of  the  head,  before  and  between  the  eyes,  and  the  lores, 
covered  with  a  red  skin,  pretty  thickly  clothed  with  black  hairs. 
Bill  blackish  brown. 


•  ^O'r 


.-di'. 


\!U,^i 


GREAT  WHITE  CRANE. 
{Orus  ......  .Audubon,  MSS.) 

Of  this  interesting  species,  found  by  Audubon  in  the  vast  swamps 
of  East  Florida,  we  yet  know  no  particulars,  excepting  the  specific 
character  of  its  being  wholly  white,  and  scarcely  inferior  in  magni- 
tude to  the  Whooping  Crane,  whose  general  habits  it  in  all  proba- 
bility possesses.  Since  its  discovery,  we  have,  I  believe,  heard  of  a 
^ecimen  having  been  obtained  in  the  vicinity  of  Charleston,  S.  C. 


40 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


,>  '■■ : 


HERONS.     (Ardea,  Lin.   Tevitr..) 

With  the  bill  long,  and  acuminated  into  a  sharp  point,  being 
robust,  straight,  and  compressed  to  an  edge,  tht?  ridge  rounded ;  the 
upper  mandible  faintly  channelled.  Nostkils,  lateral,  basal,  placed 
in  the  furrow  of  the  mandible,  and  half  closed  by  a  membrane.  Lores 
and  Orbits  naked.  Feet  long  and  slender ;  p.  naked  space  above  the 
knee  ;  middle  toe  united  to  the  outer  one  by  a  short  membrane ;  the 
interior  divided ;  hind  toe  articulated  internally,  and  on  a  level  with 
the  rest.  J^ails  long,  compressed  and  sharp,  that  of  the  middle  toe 
serrated  internally.  The  wings  of  moderate  dimensions,  obtuse ; 
the  Ist  primary  nearly  equal  with  the  2d  and  3d,  which  are  longest. 
The  tail  short  and  rounded,  consisting  of  10  or  12  feathers. 

Birds  of  this  genus  are  found  dispersed  over  the  whole  earth,  and 
many  approach  to  each  other  by  the  slightest  shades  of  distinction, 
having  as  it  were  their  representatives  in  different  quarters  of  the 
world.  Like  the  Cranes,  whose  manners  they  in  a  great  degree 
possess,  they  perform  extensive  journies,  migrating  in  large  and  mar- 
shalled troops  :  this  gregarious  habit  also  continues  through  the  season 
of  reproduction,  many  individuals  of  this  and  even  of  different 
species,  nesting  together  in  the  same  swamp  or  forest,  though  they 
are  all  strictly  monogamo  .,,  the  female  hatching,  while  the  male 
watches  and  supplies  her  with  food,  but  both  unite  in  the  charge  of 
nursing  and  rearing  the  very  imbecile  young,  which  remain  in  the 
nest  until  they  are  fully  fledged.  Their  nests  are  usually  made  with 
sticks,  and  lined  with  wool ;  but  if  they  chance  to  find  a  nest,  like 
that  of  the  rook,  suitable  for  their  purpose,  they  take  no  pains  to  build 
a  new  one.  Their  habits,  however,  like  those  of  amphibious  quad- 
rupeds, are  gloomy  and  voracious,  and  their  instinct  scarcely  superior 
to  that  of  the  fish  and  reptiles  on  which  they  principally  feed.  Dur- 
ing the  day  they  generally  remain  in  indolent  repose,  awaking  only 
to  the  calls  of  hunger,  chiefly  at  the  approach  of  evening,  or  the 
setting  in  of  twilight.  Their  raucous  and  discordant  cries  are  now 
heard  at  solemn  intervals ;  or,  as  they  traverse  the  aerial  space,  at  a 
great  elevation,  towards  the  haunts  of  their  prey.  Their  flight  is 
ample,  slow,  and  graceful,  with  the  neck  bent  backwards,  and  the 
head  in  indolent  ease,  still  resting  against  the  back ;  the  long  legs 
stretched  out  behind,  appear  like  a  tail,  and  probably  answers  the 
purpose  of  a  rudder  in  directing  the  motions.  Their  fkvorite  resorts 
are  the  unoultivated  borders  of  lakes,  rivers,  marshes,  and  gloomy 


':.:S!rZ 


HERONS. 


41 


}t 


%■ 


Bwamps,  solitudes  which  they  court  no  Icbs  from  disposition  than 
neceseiity,  as  such  places  abound  in  their  fare  of  fish,  frogs,  moles, 
mice,  worms  and  insects.  They  oilcn  wait  motionless  for  the  ap- 
proach of  their  prey,  secreting  themselves  in  the  tall  grass  by  the 
margin  of  ponds  and  marshes,  and  strike  with  great  certainty  at  any 
thing  within  their  reach.  When  tired  of  this  inactivity,  often  un- 
successful, they  move  slowly  thronirji  the  mud  and  water,  stirring 
up  by  their  feet  the>fish  and  frogs  which  may  be  lurking  round  tliem. 
The  plumage  in  the  adult  of  both  sexes  is  similar,  but  the  young 
differ  mucii  from  the  old,  obtaining  their  full  dress  only  after  the 
third  year.  The  ornaments  of  the  adult  consist  of  tufts  of  long 
feathers,  with  decomposed  barbs,  which,  after  the  annual  moult,  are 
not  immediately  renewed,  and  appear  principally  to  belong  to  the 
nuptial  season.  Their  down  is  remarkably  silky,  and  in  all  the  species, 
beneath  the  other  feathers,  are  found  four  spaces,  provided  with  a 
matted  mass  of  down.  The  species,  though  generally  large,  differ 
much  in  relative  size,  this  disparity  alone  sometimes  offering  the 
best  distinction  of  the  different  races.  The  presence  of  but  one 
caecum  as  in  quadrupeds,  instead  of  two,  as  in  other  birds,  is  a  peculi- 
arity of  the  Herons,  in  wliich  they  even  differ  from  the  Storks,  and 
the  rest  ox  their  tribe. 


Subgenus.  —  Ardea.     {True  Herons.) 

In  this  group  the  bill  is  much  longer  than  the  head,  and  quite 
straight.  The  neck  also  is  very  long  and  slender-  below  decorated 
with  elongated  drooping  plumes ;  the  body  is  also  compressed  on  the 
flanks.  The  legs  very  long,  and  the  naked  space  above  the  tarsus 
extensive.  —  This  section  embraces  the  largest  birds  of  the  genus, 
which  feed  principally  o»  fish,  and  seek  their  food  usually  by  day, 


:,..,^  --.f;  ■•-•%      1^ 


!.U'  ^'S  ■  ;'    i't:'      .•-li'Sl^ 


.^    ••■«> 


the 
legs 

the 
iorts 
omy 


4* 


^ 


'ir 


>'.,.% 


) 


GREAT  HERON.      ^  i     ^ 

(Ardea  herodias,  Lin.    Arct.  Zool.  No.  341.  Wilson,  viii.  p.  28,  pi. 
65.  fig.  2.  [adult.]     Phil.  Museum,  No.  3G29.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Crested;  bluish-osh  ;  thighs  purplish  ferruginous; 
middle  toe  much  shorter  than  the  tarsus.  —  Adult,  with  the  crown 
of  the  head  bluish-black  and  white,  with  two  long  slender  and  ex- 
sertcd  black  feathers ;  the  back  presenting  long  tapering  white 
plumes.  —  In  the  young,  no  long  feathers  on  the  back,  and  with 
the  crown  wholly  dusky. 

The  Great  Heron  of  America,  no  where  numerous,  may 

be  considered  as  a  constant  inhabitant  of  the  Atlantic  States, 

rom  New  York  to  East  Florida ;  in  the  storms  of  winter 


'fii.'iJ"^^-wJiiii^^_-.;i-M-iij^L;jdii:4J^wf™iLrfliiiJi>rfWt;S!^ 


^ 


V/»' 


pi. 

IB-, 

wn 

BX- 

lite 
ith 

»ay 

,es, 
ter 


ORIA'K  HERON.  f^ 

seeking  out  open  springs,  maddy  marshes,  subjected  to  the 
overflow  of  tides,  or  the  sheltered  recesses  of  the  cedar  and 
Cyprus  swamps  contiguous  to  the  sea  coast.  As  a  rare  or 
accidental  visitor,  it  has  been  found  even  as  far  north  as 
Hudson's  Bay,  and  commonly  passes  the  breeding  season  in 
small  numbers  along  the  coasts  of  all  the  New  England 
States,  and  the  adjoining  parts  of  British  America.  Mr. 
Say  also  observed  this  species  at  Pembino,  in  the  40th  paral- 
lel. Ancient  natural  heronries  of  this  species  occur  in  the 
deep  maritime  swamps  of  North  and  South  Carolina  :  sim- 
ilar associations  for  breeding  exist  also  in  the  lower  parts  of 
New  Jersey.  Their  favorite  and  long  frequented  resorts 
are  usually  dark  and  enswamped  solitudes,  or  boggy  lakes, 
grown  up  with  tall  cedars,  and  entangled  with  an  under- 
growth  of  bushes  and  Kalmia  laurels.  These  recesses  defy 
the  reclaiming  hand  of  cultivation,  and  present  the  same 
gloomy  and  haggard  landscape  they  did  to  the  aborigines 
of  the  forest,  who,  if  they  existed,  might  still  pursue  through 
the  tangled  mazes  of  these  dismal  swamps,  the  retreating 
bear,  and  limorous  deer.  From  the  bosom  of  these  choked 
lakes,  and  arising  out  of  the  dark  and  pitchy  bog,  may  be 
seen  large  clumps  of  the  tall  Cypress  (Cupressus  disticha,) 
like  the  innumerable  connecting  columns  of  the  shady 
mangrove,  for  sixty  or  more  feet  rising  without  a  branch, 
and  their  spreading  tops,  blending  together,  form  a  canopy  so 
dense  as  almost  to  exclude  the  light  from  beneath  their 
branches.  In  the  tops  of  the  tallest  of  these  trees,  the 
wary  Herons,  associated  to  the  number  of  ten  or  fifteen 
pair,  construct  their  nests,  each  one  in  the  top  of  a  single 
tree ;  these  are  large,  formed  of  coarse  sticks,  and  merely 
lined  with  smaller  twigs.  The  eggs,  generally  4,  are 
somewhat  larger  than  those  of  the  hen,  of  a  light  greenish 
blue,  and  destitute  of  spots.  The  young  are  seen  abroad 
about  the  middle  of  May,  become  extremely  fat  and  full 


u 


WADING   BIRDS. 


grown  before  they  make  any  effective  attempts  to  fly.  They 
raise  but  a  single  brood ;  and  when  disturbed  at  their  eyries, 
fly  over  the  spot,  sometimes  honking  almost  like  a  goose,  and 
at  others  uttering  a  loud,  hollow,  and  guttural  grunt. 

Fish  is  the  principal  food  of  the  Great  Heron,  and  for 
this  purpose,  like  an  experienced  angler,  he  often  waits  for 
that  condition  of  the  tide,  which  best  suits  his  experience 
and  instinct.  At  such  times,  they  are  seen  slowly  sailing 
out  from  their  inland  breeding  haunts,  during  the  most  silent 
and  cool  period  of  the  summer's  day,  selecting  usually,  such 
shallow  inlets  as  the  ebbing  tide  leaves  bare,  or  accessible  to 
his  watchful  and  patient  mode  of  prowling ;  here,  wading  to 
the  knees,  he  stands  motionless  amidst  the  timorous  fry,  till 
some  victim  coming  within  the  compass  of  his  wily  range, 
is  as  instantly  seized  by  the  powerful  bill  of  the  Heron,  as 
if  it  were  the  balanced  poniard  of  the  assassin,  or  the  uner- 
ring pounce  of  the  Osprey.  If  large,  the  fish  is  beaten  to 
death,  and  commonly  swallowed  with  the  head  descending, 
as  if  to  avoid  any  obstacle  arising  from  the  reversion  of  the 
fins  or  any  hard  external  processes.  On  land,  our  Heron 
has  also  his  fare,  as  he  is  no  less  a  successful  angler  than  a 
mouser,  and  renders  an  important  service  to  the  farmer,  in 
the  destruction  he  makes  among  most  of  the  reptiles  and 
meadow  shrews.  Grasshoppers,  other  large  insects,  and 
particularly  dragon  flies,  he  is  very  expert  at  striking,  and 
occasionally  feeds  upon  the  seeds  of  the  pond  lilies,  contig- 
uous to  his  usual  haunts.  Our  species,  in  all  probability,  as 
well  as  the  European  Heron,  at  times,  also  preys  upon 
young  birds,  which  may  be  accidentally  straggling  near  their 
solitary  retreats.  The  foreign  kind  has  been  known  to 
swallow  young  snipes,  and  other  birds,  when  they  happen 
to  come  conveniently  withii«  his  reach. 

The  Heron,  though  sedate  in  his  movements,  flies  out 
with  peculiar  ease,  often  ascending  high  and  proceeding  far 


GREAT    HERON. 

in  his  annual  migrations.  When  he  leaves  the  coast,  and 
traces  on  wing  the  meanders  of  the  creek  or  river,  he  is  be- 
lieved to  prognosticate  rain ;  and  when  he  proceeds  down- 
wards, dry  weather.  From  his  timorous  vigilance  and  wild- 
ness  it  is  very  difficult  to  approach  him  with  a  gun,  and 
unheeded  as  a  depredator  on  the  scaly  fry,  he  is  never  sought 
but  as  an  object  of  food,  and  for  this  purpose  the  young  are 
generally  prelerred. 

The  present  is  very  nearly  related  to  the  common  Heron 
of  Europe,  which  appears  to  be  much  more  gregarious  at 
their  breeding  places  than  ours,  for  Pennant  mentions  hav- 
ing seen  as  many  as  eighty  nests  on  one  tree;  and  Mon- 
tague saw  a  heronry,  on  a  small  island,  in  a  lake,  in  the 
north  of  Scotland,  whereon  there  was  only  one  scrubby  oak 
tree,  which  being  insufficient  to  contain  all  the  nests,  many, 
sooner  than  abandon  the  favorite  situation,  were  placed  on 
the  ground.  The  decline  in  the  amusement  of  hawking 
has  now  occasioned  but  little  attention  to  the  preservation 
of  heronries,  so  that  nine  or  ten  of  these  nurseries  are  now 
nearly  all  that  are  known  to  exist,  at  present,  in  Great  Bri- 
tain. Not  to  know  a  Hawk  from  a  Heronshow,  (the  former 
name  for  a  Heron)  was  an  old  adage,  which  arose  when  the 
diversion  of  Heron-hawking  was  in  high  fashion ;  and  it  has 
since  been  corrupted  into  the  absurd  vulgar  proverb,  "  not 
to  know  a  hawk  from  a  handsaw !"  As  the  rooks  are  very 
tenacious  of  their  eyries,  and  piratical  to  all  their  feathered 
neighbors,  it  might  be  expected  that  they  would  at  times 
prove  bad  and  encroaching  neighbors  to  the  quiet  Herons, 
and  I  have  been  credibly  informed  by  a  friend*,  that  at  Mr. 
Wilson's,  at  Dallam  Tower,  near  Milthorp,  in  Westmorland, 
a  battle  took  place  betwixt  the  Rooks  and  Herons  for  the  pos- 
session of  certain  trees  and  old  nests,  which  was  continued 

*  Mr.  King,  of  WTigglesworth,  Yorkshire. 


46 


WADING   BIRDS. 


for  five  days  in  succession,  with  various  success,  and  losti  of 
life  on  both  sides,  when,  I  believe,  they  at  length  came  to 
the  sage  conclusion  that  their  betters  had  at  times  acceded 
to,  afler  an  equally  fruitless  contest ;  namely,  to  leave  things 
stcitu  quo  ante  helium. 

r\.  The  European  Heron  appears  "to  give  a  preference  to 
fresh-water  fish,  and  for  the  purpose  of  taking  his  prey, 
gently  wades  into  the  water  where  they  abound,  and  stand- 
ing on  one  leg  up  to  the  knee,  with  his  head  drawn  in,  re- 
clined upon  his  breast,  he  quietly  watches  the  approach  of 
his  prey.  It  has  been  remarked  by  many,  that  the  fish  gen- 
erally swarm  around  them,  so  as  to  afford  an  ample  supply 
without  much  exertion ;  and  Bechstein  remarks,  after  re- 
peated observations,  that  the  source  of  this  attraction  to  the 
Heron  is  merely  the  excrement  of  the  bird,  which  the  fish, 
according  to  experiment,  devour  with  avidity.  Their  time 
of  fishing,  like  that  of  our  own  species,  is  usually  before  or 
after  sunset.  Though  there  is  no  ground  for  believing  that 
the  Heron  acquires  a  macilent  constitution  by  privation,  it  is 
certain,  that  in  Europe,  from  a  scarcity  of  food,  it  becomes 
extremely  lean.  They  are  known  frequently  to  feed  by 
moonlight,  at  which  time  they  become  tolerably  fat,  being 
then  unmolested,  and  it  is  observed  that  the  fish  at  this  time 
come  into  the  sboaler  waters. 

The  Great  Heron  is  about  4  feet  4  inches  long ;  the  alar  extent  6 
feet.  The  forehead  and  middle  of  the  crown  white,  passing  over  the 
eye ;  sides  of  the  crown  and  hindhcad,  bluish  black  and  crested,  the 
3  long  tapering  black  feathers  being  6  inches  long.  Chin,  cheeks, 
and  sides  of  the  head,  white,  for  several  inches;  throat  white,  thickly 
streaked  with  double  rows  of  black  stripes ;  the  rest  of  the  neck 
brownish  ash,  from  the  lower  part  of  which  proceed  a  great  num- 
ber of  long,  narrow,  pointed  white  feathers,  that  spread  over  the 
breast,  and  extend  nearly  to  the  thighs ;  under  these  long  plumes, 
the  breast  and  middle  of  the  belly,  are  deep  blackish  slate,  the  latter 
streaked  with  white.     Sides  blue  ash;  vent  white.     Thighs  and 


.^i«..^^   ^'. 


GREAT   WHITE   HERON. 


/  i 


ridges  of  the  wings  of  a  dark  purplish  rust  color.  Whole  upper 
parts  of  the  wings,  tail,  and  body,  light  ash  ;  the  latter  ornamented 
with  a  profusion  of  long,  narrow,  white,  tapering  feathers,  origi- 
nating on  the  shoulders  or  upper  part  of  the  back,  and  falling  grace- 
fully  over  the  wings.  Primaries  very  dark  slate  color.  Naked  thighs 
brownish  yellow.  Legs,  brownish  black,  tinged  with  yellow,  and 
netted  with  seams  of  whitish.  Bill  8  inches  long,  and  1^  in  width ; 
yellow,  in  some  blackish,  on  the  ridge ;  very  sharp  at  the  point  and 
edges,  and  slightly  serrated  near  the  extremity.  Space  around  the 
eye,  from  the  nostril,  of  a  light  purplish  blue.    Iris  orange. 


GREAT  WHITE  HERON. 

(Ardea  egretta,  Gmel.  Wilson,  vii.  p.  106,  pi.  61,  fig.  4.  A.  alba, 
BoNAP.  nee.  Lin.  Bonap.  Am.  Orn.  iv.  p.  97.  A.  leuce,  Temm. 
Phil.  Museum,  No.  3754.  Young,  3755.) 

Sp.  Ctiii.  iCi\  —  Without  crest;  snowy  white;  bill  bright  yellow ; 
legs  V  'ery  long  and  stout,  naked  for  four  inches  above  the 

tarsu  ■'  tdt,  the  back  furnished  with  long  flowing  stout  plumes, 
extendmg  beyond  the  tail.  —  Young  and  moulting  birds  without  the 
dorsal  train. 

This  tall  and  elegant  Heron  is,  in  America,  chiefly  con- 
fined to  the  warmer  and  more  temperate  regions.  From 
Guiana,  and  even  far  beyond  the  equator  in  South  Amer- 
ica,* it  is  seen  to  reside  as  far  to  the  north  as  the  state  of  New 
York.  In  the  old  continent,  the  very  nearly  allied  A.  alba 
is  met  with  on  the  borders  of  the  Caspian  and  Black  seas, 
on  the  shores  of  the  Irtish,  and  the  lakes  of  Tartary,  even  as 
far  as  the  53d  parallel ;  and  a  straggler  is  now  and  then 
met  with  in  Great  Britain.  Towards  the  close  of  February, 
our  species  is  seen  to  arrive  in  Georgia  from  its  warmer 
hybernal  resorts.    At  all  times  it  appears  to  have  a  predi- 


*  According  to  the  Prince  of  Musignano,  this  species  is  mentioned  by  d'Azara, 
and  he  has  himself  received  it  from  Surinam. 


48 


WADING   BIRDS. 


lection  for  swamps,  rice  fields,  and  the  low  marshy  shores  of 
rivers  and  lagoons,  where  from  its  size  and  color  it  becomes 
conspicuous  at  a  distance,  yet  from  its  vigilance  and  timid- 
ity rarely  allows  of  an  approach  within  gun-shot.  It  is 
known  to  breed  in  several  of  the  great  cedar  swamps,  in  the 
lower  maritime  parts  of  New  Jersey.  Like  most  of  their 
tribe,  they  associate  in  numbers  at  their  eyries,  and  the 
structure  and  materials  of  the  nest  is  entirely  similar  to 
those  of  the  Snowy  Heron.  The  eggs  about  4,  are  of  a 
pale  blue  color.  In  July  and  August,  the  young  are  seen 
abroad  in  the  neighboring  meadows  and  marshes,  in  flocks 
of  twenty  or  thirty  together.  They  are  particularly  frequent 
in  the  large  and  deep  tide  ditches  in  the  vicinity  of  Phila- 
delphia. Their  food,  as  usual,  consists  of  frogs,  small  fish, 
lizards,  mice,  and  moles,  insects,  small  water  snakes,  and, 
at  times,  the  seeds  of  the  pond  lilies.  -  -..;.? 

This  species  is  3  feet  C  inches  from  the  tip  of  the  bill  to  the  end  of 
the  tail ;  and  5  feet  in  alar  extent.  The  train,  which  extends  7  or  8 
inches  beyond  the  tai),  is  composed  of  a  great  number  of  long,  thick, 
tapering  shafls,  arising  from  the  lower  part  of  the  shoulders,  and 
thinly  furnished  on  each  side  with  fine  flowing,  hair-like  threads, 
several  inches  in  length,  covering  the  lower  part  of  the  back,  and 
falling  gracefully  over  the  tail,  which  it  entirely  conceals.  The 
whole  plumage  pure  white,  except  the  train,  which  is  slightly 
tinged  with  yellow.  The  bill  orange,  tipt  with  black.  Irids  paler. 
The  span  of  the  foot  upwards  of  6  inches,  with  the  inner  edge  of  the 
middle  claw  pectinated. 


!', 


■Mi'  'U 


Ci:f\i:^  i. 


;  k::'!  ,j  :  ,- 


l 


t 


SNOWY   HERON. 


49 


^  PEALE'S  EGRET  HERON. 

(Ardea  Pealii,  Bonap.    Am.  Orn.  iv.  p.  90.  pi.  26.  fig.  1.^ 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Crested;  snowy  white;  bill  flesh  colored,  the  point 
and  legs,  black;  toes  yellow  beneath;  tarsus  more  than  5 
inches  long.  —  Adult,  with  the  crest  and  neck-fringe  large,  com* 
posed  of  compact  and  pointed  feathers ;  the  back  provided '  with 
long,  straight,  filiform  plumes,  extending  beyond  the  tail.  —  The 
young  smaller,  and  destitute  of  these  ornaments.  '  '    '*' 

This  species,  so  nearly  allied  to  the  European  Egret,  was 
discovered  in  East  Florida,  by  Mr.  Titian  Peale,  and  proba- 
bly inhabits  still  farther  south,  on  the  American  continent. 

This  species  is  about  26  inches  long.  The  bill  5,  flesh  color,  for 
nearly  three  inches,  from  the  base,  then  black  to  the  point.  The 
lora  and  naked  parts  of  the  face  are  of  the  same  flesh-color,  but  paler. 
Plumage  as  in  all  the  Egrets,  snowy  white.  The  crest  large  and 
dense.  A  bunch  of  these  fine  subulate  feathers  hangs  down  also 
from  the  front  part  of  the  neck.  The  long  flowing  plumes  of  the 
back  are  filiform,  rathier  than  silky,  being  by  no  means  delicate,  ex- 
tending much  beyond  the  tail,  with  the  rays  of  their  barbs  straight 
and  rather  stiff",  never  curled,  or  divaricate,  as  in  the  A.  candidiS' 
sima.  Tarsus  6  inches  long. 


SNOWY  HERON. 

(Ardea  candidissima,  Gmel.     Wilson,  vii.   p.  120.  pi.  G2.   fig.  4. 
[adult.]     Phil.  Museum.  No.  3785.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Crested;  snowy  white;  bill,  and  legs  black;  toes 
yellow  ;  tarsus  less  than  4  inches  long. — Adult  with  a  large  crest 
and  neck-fringe,  of  loose  flowing  feathers ;  the  back  ornamented 
with  long,  silky,  recurved  plumes,  scarcely  extending  beyond  the 
tail.  The  young,  but  slightbr  crested,  destitute  of  the  dorsal 
train ;  and,  with  the  legs  yellowish  green,  stained  with  black. 

This  elegant  Heron,  so  nearly  related  to  the  little  Egret 
of  Europe,  inhabits  the  marshes  and  swamps  of  the  sea- 
5 


m 


WADING    BIRDS. 


. 


coast,  nearly  from  the  Isthmus  of  Darien  to  the  estuary  of 
the  St.  Lawrence,  generally  omitting,  however,  the  maritime 
range  of  the  central  parts  of  New  England.*  It  arrives  in 
the  United  States  from  the  south  early  in  April,  and  parties, 
passing  inland,  at  length  proceed  up  the  valley  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, and  even  ascend  the  borders  of  the  Ark  ansa,  thus 
pursuing  an  extensive  inland  route  to  their  final  destination 
in  the  wilds  of  Canada.  After  raising  their  brood,  they  de- 
part from  the  middle  states,  towards  their  hybernal  destina- 
tion in  the  south,  in  the  course  of  the  month  of  October. 

Like  most  of  the  summer  visiters  of  this  family,  the  Snowy 
Heron  confines  its  residence  to  the  salt  marshes,  where  its 
brilliant  whiteness  renders  it  a  conspicuous  object  at  a  dis^ 
tance.  Its  food,  as  usual,  consists  of  small  crabs,  worms, 
snails,  frogs,  and  lizards,  to  which  fare  it  also  adds  at  times 
the  seeds  of  the  pond  lilies  and  other  aquatic  plants.  About 
the  middle  of  May  they  commence  to  breed,  and  Wilson 
describes  one  of  these  heronries  situated  in  a  sequestered 
clump  of  red  cedars,  at  Summer's  Beach,  on  the  coast  of 
Cape  May.  The  spot  chosen,  with  the  usual  sagacity  of 
the  tribe,  was  separated  on  the  land  side  by  a  fresh  water 
pond,  and  sheltered  from  the  view  of  the  Atlantic  by  ranges 
of  sand  hills.  The  cedars,  though  low,  were  so  densely 
crowded  together  as  scarcely  to  permit  a  passage  through 
them.  Some  of  the  trees  contained  three  or  four  nests  in 
each,  constructed  wholly  of  sticks.  The  eggs,  about  3 
in  number,  were  of  a  pale  greenish  blue  color,  and  measured 
one  inch  and  three  quarters  in  length.  On  approaching  the 
premises,  the  birds  silently  rose  in  great  numbers,  and  alight- 
ing on  the  tops  of  the  neighboring  trees,  they  appeared  to 
watch  the  result  of  the   intruding  visit  in  silent  anxiety. 

*  I  Iinve  seen  r  specimen  of  an  individual  wliicli  cnmo  on  board  a  vesssel  nearly 
(iff  Nantiicl«ef,  probably  migrating  directly  to  the  south,  outside  the  land.  Though 
t^treindy  lean  and  eraaeiated,  it  refused  all  food. 


^ 


LOUISIANA   HERON. 


1 


Assembled  with  them  were  numbers  of  the  Night  Herons, 
and  two  or  three  of  the  purple-headed  species.  Great  quan- 
tities of  egg-shells  lay  scattered  under  the  trees,  occasioned 
by  the  depredations  of  the  crows,  who  were  hovering  in  the 
vicinity.  Wherever  they  happen  to  wander  through  the 
marshes,  or  along  the  borders  of  the  rivers  and  inlets,  they 
regularly  return  in  the  evening  to  their  favorite  roost  in  the 
cedars  of  the  beach. 

The  young,  of  botl  tV      nd  the  preceding  '=^n^cies,  are 
generally  fat,  and  e&.,v..ned       some  as  palatable  '  >u. 

The  length  of  the  Snowy  Heron  is  about  2  feet  1  inch ;  the  alar 
extent  3  feet  3  inches.  The  bill  is  black,  and  4  and  a  quarter  inches 
long.  The  space  from  the  nostril  to  the  eye  bright  yellow.  Iris 
orange.  The  head  is  largely  crested  with  loose  unwebbed  feathers, 
nearly  4  inches  in  length ;  another  tuft  of  the  same  covers  the  breast. 
Shafts  of  the  great  dorsal  train  feathers  6  or  7  inches  long,  very 
elastic,  tapering  to  the  extremities,  and  thinly  set  with  long,  slender 
bending  threads  or  fibres  easily  agitated  by  the  slightest  motion  of 
the  air ;  these  shafts  curl  upwards  at  the  ends.  Legs  black ;  feet 
yellow,  claws  black,  the  middle  one  pectinated. 


LOUISIANA  HERON. 

(Ardea  ludoviciana,  Wilson,  (not  of  Latham,)  viii.  p.  13.  pi.  64. 
fig.  1.  [adult.]  Phil.  Museum,  No.  3750.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Crested;  slate-colored ;  back,  rump,  and  beneath, 
white;  neck  feathers  purplish;  a  dorsal  train  of  long  capillary, 
purplish  plumes.  —  Young  without  the  ornamental  feathers. 

This  rare  species  of  Heron  is  confined  to  the  warmer 
parts  of  the  Union,  from  whence  it  migrates,  at  the  approach 
of  winter,  probably  to  the  tropical  parts  of  America.  It  is 
occasionally  found  in  the  river  marshes  of  South  Carolina, 
and  is  not  unfrequent  along  the  inundated  borders  of  the 
Mississippi,  below  New  Orleans,  where  it  is  said  to  breed, 
constructing  its  nest  in  trees.    Its  habits  agree  very  nearly 


52 


WADING    BIRDS. 


with  those  of  the  Blue  Heron.  It  is  very  quick  in  its  move- 
ments, and  alert  in  the  capture  of  its  prey,  which  consists 
of  fish,  frogs,  lizards,  and  various  aquatic  insects. 

Length  of  the  species  from  the  bill  to  the  end  of  the  tail  about  33 
inches.  Bill  5  inches  long,  very  sharp,  yellowish-green  at  base,  and 
black  towards  the  point.  Irids  yellow.  Chin  and  throat  white,  dotted 
with  brown  and  some  greyish  blue.  The  neck  light  vinous  purple. 
Crest  formed  of  a  number  of  long  narrow  purple  feathers,  beneath 
which  arise  7  or  8  very  long  white  and  pendent  ones.  Upper  part  of 
the  back  and  wings  light  slate  color ;  lower  part  of  the  back  and  rump 
beneath  the  dorsal  train  white.  The  train  of  a  soiled  purplish  brown 
at  the  base,  becoming  cream  color  towards  the  extremities.  Tail 
slate  colored,  even;  legs,  and  naked  thighs  greenish  yellow;  the 
middle  claw  pectinated ;  below  pure  white. 


I 


Subgenus.     Botaurus.     (Bonap.) 

Is  these  Herons  the  bill  is  scarcely  longer  than  the  head,  much 
compressed  and  higher  than  broad ;  the  upper  mandible  is  likewise 
sensibly  curved.  Legs  comparatively  short;  a  small  naked  space 
above  the  tibiae.  The  neck  rather  short,  and  densely  covered  with 
long  loose  feathers,  capable  of  voluntary  erection.  —  Chiefly  noc- 
turnal. Living  as  usual  with  the  preceding  in  retired  marshes  and 
dark  swamps ;  feeding  more  on  reptiles  and  insects  than  on  fish. 


t  Advltf  during  the  nuptial  season,  with  a  few,  long,  and  narrow^ 
^  ,:  :  ,;  .,     '      tapering  occipital  feathers.  . 

WHITE  CROWNED  HERON. 

(Ardea  violacea,  Lin.    Wilson,  viii.  p.  26.  pi.  65.  fig.  1.  [adult.]  Phil. 
r      ';    "         Museum,  3738.)  .^       •- 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Crested;  ash  color,  paler  below ;  upper  parts  streak- 
ed with  black;  dorsal  train  of  long,  loosely  webbed  tapering 
feathers ;  the  crown  and  spot  on  each  cheek,  white ;  two  occipital 
feathers. 

This  species,  erroneously  called  the  Yellow  Crowned 


-: 


■1  >> 


y{ 


WHITE    CROWNED   HERON. 


63 


Heron,  by  Catesby,  inhabits  the  maritime  parts  of  South 
Carolina,  Georgia  and  Louisiana,  during  the  summer  season. 
Individuals  are  also  seen  as  far  north  as  Virginia,  and  even 
occasionally  in  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia.  They  are  also 
resident  in  the  Bahama  Islands,  where  they  breed,  in  great 
numbers,  and  the  young  are  sought  afler  as  a  delicate  kind 
of  game.  In  the  United  States,  the  species  is  not  uumerous ; 
and  afler  the  manner  of  the  Night  Heron,  they  repose  during 
the  day  in  low  swampy  woods,  and  sally  out  to  feed  only  at 
twilight.  They  breed  in  companies,  making  their  nests  of 
sticks,  in  the  branches  of  low  trees,  and  lay  four  pale  blue 
eggs.  Their  food,  as  usual,  consists  of  fish  fry,  lizards  and 
crabs,  of  which  last  they  are  very  fond  and  make  great 
destruction. 

This  species  is  about  22  inches  in  length ;  alar  extent  34.  Bill 
black,  about  4  inches  long.  Lores  pale  green.  Irids  orange  red. 
Head,  and  part  of  the  neck  black,  marked  on  each  cheek  with  an 
oblong  spot  of  white.  Crested  crown  and  upper  part  of  the  head 
white ;  the  2  long  occipital  feathers  white,  beneath  these  are  a  few 
others  of  a  blackish  color.  Upper  parts  a  dark  ash,  each  feather 
centred  with  black  and  edged  with  white.  Primaries  dusky,  edged 
with  white.  Long  dorsal  train  feathers  ash,  streaked  broadly  down 
the  centre  with  black,  extending  4  or  more  inches  beyond  the  wings. 
Legs  and  feet  yellow ;  middle  claw  pectinated. 


/ 


6* 


Phil. 


m 


il  J      ,'    •  J 


QUA  BIRD,  OR  AMERICAN  NIGHT  HERON. 

(Ardea  *discor8,  A.  nyctkorax,  Wilson,  vii.  p.  101.  pi.  Gl.  fig.  2. 
[adult,]  and  fig.  3.  [young.]  Pliil.  Museum,  No.  3728.  and  young, 
3729.) 

Sr.  CiiABACT.  —  Whitish ;  crown  greenish  black ;  upper  part  of  the 
back  with  a  faint  tinge  of  dusky  green ;  the  3  occipital  feathers 
pure  white.  Length  of  the  bird  28  inches.  —  Autumnal  bird  with- 
out the  occipital  featliers  —  The  Young,  as  soon  as  feathered, 
brown,  streaked  with  rufous  white,  beneath  dark  grey  with  whitish 
stripes  ;  wing  and  tail  feathers  dark  grey,  the  former  with  a  spot 
of  white  at  the  tips ;  no  occipital  feathers. 

The  Great  Night  Heron  of  America,  extends  its  migra- 
tions probably  to  the  northern  and  eastern  extremities  of  the 
United  States,  but  is  wholly  unknown  in  the  high  boreal 
regions  of  the  continent.  In  the  winter  it  proceeds  as  far 
south  as  the  tropics,  having  been  seen  in  the  marshes  of 
Cayenne,  and  their  breeding  stations  are  known  to  extend 
from  New  Orleans  to  Massachusetts.     They  arrive  in  Penn- 


QUA    BIRD,  OR  AMERICAN    NIUIIT    HERON. 


55 


sylvania  early  in  the  month  of  April,  and  soon  take  posses- 
sion of  their  ancient  nurseries,  which  are  usually,  (in  the 
middle  and  southern  states,)  the  most  solitary  and  deeply 
shaded  part  of  a  cedar  swamp,  or  some  inundated  and  almost 
inaccessible  grove  of  swamp  oaks.  In  these  places,  or  some 
contiguous  part  of  the  forest,  near  a  pond  or  stream,  the 
timorous  and  watchful  flock  pass  away  the  day,  until  the 
commencement  of  twilight,  when  the  calls  of  hunger,  and 
the  coolness  of  evening  arouse  the  dosing  throng  into  life 
and  activity.  At  this  time,  high  in  the  air,  the  parent  birds 
are  seen  sallying  forth  towards  the  neighboring  marshes  and 
strand  of  the  sea,  in  quest  of  food,  for  themselves  and  their 
young ;  as  they  thus  proceed  in  a  marshalled  rank,  at  intervals 
they  utter  a  sort  of  recognition  call,  like  the  guttural  sound 
of  the  syllable  'kwdh,  uttered  in  so  hollow  and  sepulchral  a 
tone,  as  almost  to  resemble  the  retchings  of  a  vomiting 
person.  These  venerable  eyries  of  the  Kwah  Birds,  have 
been  occupied  from  the  remotest  period  of  time,  by  about 
eighty  to  a  hundred  pairs.  When  their  ancient  trees  were 
levelled  by  the  axe,  they  have  been  known  to  remove  merely 
to  some  other  quarter  of  the  same  swamp,  and  it  is  only 
when  they  have  been  long  teased  and  plundered  that  they 
are  ever  known  to  abandon  their  ancient  stations.  Their 
greatest  natural  enemy  is  the  Crow,  and  according  to  the 
relation  of  Wilson,  one  of  these  heronries,  near  Thompson's 
Point,  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware,  was  at  length  entirely 
abandoned,  through  the  persecution  of  these  sable  enemies. 
Several  breeding  haunts  of  the  Kwah  Birds  occur  among  the 
red  cedar  groves,  on  the  sea  beach  of  Cape  May ;  in  these 
places  they  also  admit  the  association  of  the  Little  Egret, 
the  Green  Bittern,  and  the  Blue  Heron.  In  a  very  secluded 
and  marshy  island,  in  Fresh  Pond,  near  Boston,  there  like- 
wise exists  one  of  these  ancient  heronries ;  and  though  the 
birds  have  been  frequently  robbed  of  their  eggs,  in  great 


WADINO    BIRDS 


numbers,  by  mischievous  boys,  they  still  lay  again  imme- 
diately after,  and  usually  succeed  in  raising  a  sufficient 
brood.  The  nests,  always  in  trees,  are  composed  of  twigs, 
slightly  interlaced,  more  shallow  and  slovenly  than  those  of 
the  Crow,  and  though  often  one,  sometimes  as  many  as  two 
or  three  nests  are  built  in  the  same  tree.  The  eggs  about 
4,  are  as  large  as  those  of  the  common  hen,  and  of  a 
pale  greenish  blue  color.  The  marsh  is  usually  whitened 
by  the  excrements  of  these  birds ;  and  the  fragments  of 
broken  egcf  shells,  old  nests,  and  small  fish,  which  they  have 
dropped  while  feeding  their  young,  give  a  characteristic 
picture  of  the  slovenly,  indolent,  and  voracious  character  of 
the  occupants  of  these  eyries. 

On  entering  these  dark  and  secluded  retreats  of  the  Night 
Heron,  the  ear  is  assailed  by  the  confused  and  choking  noise 
uttered  by  the  old  and  young,  which,  however,  instantly 
ceases  the  moment  the  intruder  is  observed,  and  the  whole 
throng,  lately  so  clamorous,  rise  into  the  air  in  silence,  and 
fly  to  the  tops  of  the  trees  in  some  other  part  of  the  wood, 
while  parties  of  the  old  birds,  of  from  eight  to  ten,  make 
occasional  reconnoitering  circuits  over  the  spot,  as  if  to 
observe,  what  may  be  going  on  in  their  surprised  domicil. 

However  deficient  these  nocturnal  birds  may  be  in  vision 
by  day,  their  faculty  of  hearing  is  so  acute,  that  it  is  almost 
impossible,  with  every  precaution,  to  penetrate  near  their 
residence  without  being  discovered.  As  soon  as  the  young 
are  able,  and  long  before  they  are  capable  of  flying,  they 
climb  to  the  highest  part  of  the  trees  near  their  nests,  as  if 
to  solicit  the  attention  and  watch  the  return  and  protection 
of  their  officious  parents ;  and  yet,  with  every  precaution, 
the  young  fall  victims  to  the  prowling  hawks,  who  hovering 
round,  make  an  occasional  sweep  among  their  timorous  ranks. 

About  the  middle  of  October,  the  Qua  Birds  begin  to 
retire  from  this  part  of  Massachusetts,  towards  their  southern 


J 


QUA    BIRD,  OR  AMERICAN    NUillT    lll'.HON. 


67 


\\ 


winter  quarters,  though  a  tew  of  the  young  birds  Htill  linger 
occasionally  to  the  29th  or  JJOth  of  that  month.  The  food 
of  this  species  consittts  chiefly  of  sniull  fish,  which  it  collecta 
in  the  twilight,  or  towards  night,  and  in  the  wide  gullet, 
which  commences  at  the  iniinediate  base  of  the  bill,  they 
probably  collect  i!  supply  for  the  use  of  their  young.         • 

In  the  month  of  October,  1  obtained  two  specimens  of  the 
young  Night  Heron,  in  their  second  plumage  ;  these  were  so 
extremely  fat,  that  the  stomach  was  quite  buried  in  cakes  of  it 
like  tallow.  Their  food  had  been  Ulva  latissimo,  small  fish, 
grasshoppers,  and  a  few  coleopterous  insects ;  so  that  at  this 
cool  season  of  the  year,  tliese  birds  had  venturea  out  to 
hunt  their  fare  through  the  marsh  by  day,  as  well  as  evening. 
In  the  stomach  of  one  of  these  birds,  towards  its  upper  ori- 
fice, were  parasitic  worms,  like  taenia.  About  the  time  of 
their  departure,  the  young,  in  their  plumbeous  dress,  asso- 
ciate together  early  in  the  morning,  and  proceed  in  flocks, 
either  wholly  by  themselves,  or  merely  conducted  by  one 
or  two  old  birds  in  a  company. 

The  American  Night  Heron  is  28  inches  or  upwards  in  length ;  and 
the  alar  extent  is  4  feet.  Bill  black,  4^  inches  from  the  rictus.  Lorea 
pale  greenish-yellow  ;  (bluish  white,  Wilson.)  Eyelids  large  and  bare, 
of  a  deep  purplish  blue.  Iris  blood  red.  Crested  crown  and  hind- 
head,  deep  dark  blue,  with  a  green  reflection.  Front  and  line  over 
the  eye,  white.  Occipital  feathers  3,  sometimes  4,  pure  white,  and 
between  8  and  9  inches  long ;  these  are  so  closely  incumbent,  as  when 
at  rest,  to  appear  only  like  a  single  feather.  Lower  parts  white, 
stained  with  yellowish  cream  color.  Back  and  scapulars  tinged  with 
a  shade  of  the  dark  green  of  the  head.  Rump,  tail-c«.  .-s,  wings 
and  tail,  pale  ash.  Legs  yellowish-green,  (yellow  creaiu  ^iolor,  Wil- 
son.) Inside  of  the  middle  claw  serrated. — The  younghixA.  measures 
about  21  inches  in  length,  and  is  above  of  a  deep  brown,  streaked 
with  rufous  white,  the  spots  of  white  on  the  back  and  wings  are 
triangular.  Quills  dusky,  marked  on  their  tipb  with  a  spot  of  white. 
Belly  with  the  feathers  pale  dusky,  streaked  down  their  centres  with 
white.  Iris,  orange.  Legs  and  feet,  light  green.  In  the  progressive 
change  which  the  young  undergo  before  their  departure,  some  are, 


S8 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


"*>- 


at  length,  seen  dusky,  abdVe,  with  a  pale,  rufous  white  stripe  in  the 
centre  of  each  feather.  The  wings  and  tail  put  on  the  bluish-grey 
tint  of  the  adult,  and  the  coverts  are  all  tipt  with  a  pencil  shaped  spot 
of  white.  Below  also  the  plumage  becomes  a  shade  paler.  The  iris  is 
orange,  and  the  pupil  very  large.     These  were  killed  in  October. 

I  have  ventured  to  consider  the  Kwa  Bird  as  a  different  species 
from  the  Night  Heron  of  Europe,  principally  from  the  striking  dis- 
parity in  the  size  of  the  adult.  I  have  not  at  this  time,  had  the  means 
of  making  an  accurate  comparison,  though  I  have  seen  the  European 
Night  Heron  living,  in  the  aviary  of  Lord  Stanley,  but  believe,  from 
the  geographical  range  of  the  species  in  both  continents,  they  must 
be  distinct,  as  neither  migrate  into  the  high  boreal  regions.  The 
transatlantic  species,  is  said  to  inhabit  the  borders  of  the  Don,  where 
it  builds  in  trees,  and  is  also  met  with  at  Astrachan,  in  summer.  In 
a  forest,  now  demolished,  at  Sevenhuys,  near  Leyden,  many  formerly 
bred,  in  company  with  the  Spoonbills,  and  other  birds  of  like  habits. 
They  arrive  in  Silesia  in  the  autumn,  and  migrate  with  the  Storks  in 
the  spring,  they  are  inhabitants  of  the  borders  of  lakes  in  Tuscany ; 
are  found  at  Aleppo,  and  there  are  figures  of  the  species  in  Chinese 
drawings.  I  am  happy  also  to  find,  that  my  friend  Mr.  Audubon, 
agrees  with  me  in  the  opinion  of  the  distinction  of  the  American 
species  from  that  of  Europe. 


BLUE  HERON.  ^ 

(Ardea  carvlea,  Lin.  Wilsox,  vii.  p.  117.  pi.  62.  fig.  3.  [adult.] 
A.  carulescens,  Turton.  A.  cyanoptis,  Latham,  Gmel.  [the 
young.]  Phil.  Museum,  No.  3782.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Crested ;  bluish-slate ;  feathers  of  the  back  and 
breast,  slender  and  elongated ;  head  and  neck  purplish-brown ;  3 
occipital  feathers.  The  young  without  the  crest,  and  with  the 
head  and  neck  of  the  same  color  with  the  body. 

The  Blue  Heron  may  be  considered  almost  a  restricted 
native  of  the  warmer  climates  of  the  United  States,  fron* 
whence  it  migrates  at  the  approach  of  winter,  into  the  tropi- 
cal parts  of  the  continent,  being  found  in  Cayenne,  Mexico, 
and  the  island  of  Jamaica.  The  muddy  shores  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, from  Natchez  downwards,  are  their  favorite  resort. 


MMMti 


.*"*i«s.-tf.-.«i'-ti 


BLUE   HERON. 


59 


Hi. 


»( 


In"  the  course  of  the  spring,  however,  they  migrate,  occa- 
sionally to  the  confines  of  New  England,  restricting  their 
visits,  like  many  other  of  the  tender  species,  to  the  confines 
of  the  ocean,  and  its  adjoining  marshes,  where  their  proper 
food,  of  reptiles,  worms,  and  insect  larvae  abound.     They 
also  often  visit  the  fresh  water  bogs,  in  the  vicinity  of  their 
eyries ;  and  move  about  actively,  sometimes  making  a  run 
at  their  prey.     Like  the  Snowy  Heron,  with  which  it  some- 
times associates,  it  is  also,  when  the  occasion  requires,  very 
silent,  intent  and  watchful.     These  nocturnal  and  indolent 
birds,  appear  tacitly  to  associate  and  breed  often  in  the 
same  swamps,  leading  towards  each  other,  no  doubt,  a  very 
harmless  and  independent  life.  Patient  and  timorous,  though 
voracious  in  their  appetites,  their  defence  consists  in  seclu- 
sion, and  with  an  appropriate  instinct,  they  seek  out  the 
wildest  and  most  insulated  retreats  in  nature.     The  undrain- 
able  morass  grown  up  with  a  gigantic  and  gloomy  forest,  im- 
perviously filled  with  tangled   shrubs  and  rank  herbage, 
abounding  with  disgusting  reptiles,  sheltering  wild  bp»'dts, 
and  denying  a  foot  hold  to  the  hunter,  are  among  the  chosen 
resorts  of  the  sagacious  Herons,  whose  uncouth  manners, 
raucous  voice,  rank  flesh,  and  gluttonous  appetite,  allow 
them  to  pass  quietly  through  the  world,  as  objects  at  once 
contemptible  and  useless ;  yet  the  part  which  they  perform 
in   the  scale  of  existence,  in   the  destruction  they  make 
amongst   reptiles    and    insects,  affords   no  inconsiderable 
benefit  to  man. 

A  few  of  the  Blue  Herons,  for  common  safety,  breed 
among  the  Night  Herons,  the  Snowy  species,  and  the  Green 
Bittern,  among  the  cedars,  (or  Virginian  Junipers,)  on  the 
sea  beach  of  Cape  May.  Their  nests,  placed  in  the  tops 
of  the  trees,  were  composed  of  small  twigs,  and  contained 
mostly  5  eggs  of  a  light  blue  color,  but  of  a  somewhat  deeper 
tint  than  those  of  the  Night  Heron. 


60 


WADING   BIRDS. 


This  species  is  about  23  inches  in  length,  and  3  feet  in  alar  extent. 
Bill,  black ;  lores,  light  purplish-blue  -,  iris,  grey ;  head  and  neck  of 
a  deep  purplish  brown.  Long  occipital  feathers,  dark  brown,  and 
not  very  distinct  or  separate  from  the  rest.  General  plumage,  of  a 
deep  slate  color.  The  back  covered  with  long,  flat  and  narrow 
feathers,  some  of  them  near  10  inches  long,  and  extending  4  inches 
beyond  the  tail ;  the  breast  also  ornamented  with  similar  feathers. 
Legs  blackish  green. 


t  t  JVb  long  occipital  feathers  in  the  following  species. 

AMERICAN  BITTERN. 

(Ardea  lentiginosa,  Montagi7£,  Suppl.  Om.  Diet.  (ann.  1813.)  Ji. 
minor,  Wilson,  viii.  p.  35.  pi.  65.  fig.  3.  (ann.  1814.)  Phil.  Museum, 
No.  3727.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Yellowish  ferruginous,  mottled  and  sprinkled  witli 
deep  brown ;  throat  white,  streaked  with  brownish ;  the  crown,  a 
wide  space  on  each  side  the  neck,  and  primaries  plain  black. — 
Young,  with  similar  colors,  but  less  decided. 

The  Bittern  of  America,  though  no  where  numerous 
from  its  retiring  habits,  is  found  in  almost  every  part  of  the 
continent,  where  there  exist  extensive  marshes,  either  mari- 
time or  inland,  up  to  the  58th  parallel  of  northern  latitude,* 
where  they  are  frequent,  in  the  morasses  and  willow  thickets 
of  the  interior,  throughout  the  fur  countries.  From  the  in- 
clement regions  they  retire  in  the  winter,  while  in  other 
parts  they  are  permanently  resident.  They  are  said  to  revisit 
Severn  river,  at  Hudson's  Bay,  about  the  beginning  of  June, 
where  they  make  their  nests  in  the  swamps  among  the  sedge, 
and  lay  4  cinereous  'reen  eggs.  They  breed  also  in  several 
parts  of  the  state  of  Massachusetts,  young  birds  being  met 
with  in  the  marshes  of  Fresh  Pond,  and  other  places  in  the 
vicinity  of  Boston,  about  the  middle  of  summer. 

'*' Richardson's  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  374.        _i_.   .     ,.       _. 


AMERICAN  BITTERN. 


61 


L 

r 

B 

A. 
m, 

ith 
i,a 


ous 

the 

ari- 

le* 

lets 

in- 
ther 
visit 
une, 
dge, 
reral 

met 
the 


Si: 


During  the  day,  the  Night  Hen,  as  it  is  here  called,  re- 
mains hid  in  the  reeds  and  sedge,  and  rarely  comes  out  till 
the  approach  of  night.  When  disturbed  in  its  retreat,  it 
flies  off  with  a  hollow  'kwa,  or  kmoh,  kowk,  and  sometimes 
gives  a  loud  squeak  of  alarm  ,*  at  this  time,  as  it  flies  heavily, 
and  at  no  great  height,  it  is  easily  shot  down ;  they  are  also 
sometimes  obtained  by  laying  wait  for  them  as  they  sally 
out  in  ths  evening,  towards  the  salt  marshes,  in  a  par- 
ticular diiection,  in  quest  of  their  usual  supply  of  food. 

In  the  breeding  season,  and  throughout  a  great  part  of 
the  summer,  we  often  hear  the  loud  booming  note  of  this 
bird  from  the  marshes  of  Fresh  Pond,  morning  and  evening, 
and  sometimes  even  during  the  day.  Instead  of  the  bump, 
or  hoomp,  however,  of  the  true  Bitteni,  their  call  is  something 
like  the  uncouth  syllables  of  'pump-au-gdh,  But  uttered  in 
the  same  low,  bellowing  tone. 

The  cry  of  the  European  Bittern,  so  similar  to  that  of 
our  own  species,  is  thus  elegantly  described  by  Gold- 
smith, in  his  Animated  Nature.  "  Those  who  have  walked 
in  a  summer's  evening  by  the  sedgy  sides  of  unfrequented 
rivers,  must  remember  a  variety  of  notes  from  different 
water  fowl ;  the  loud  scream  of  the  wild  goose,  the  croak- 
ing of  the  mallard,  the  whining  of  the  lapwing,  and  the 
tremulous  neighing  of  the  jack-snipe.  But  of  all  these 
sounds,  there  is  none  so  dismally  hollow  as  the  booming  of 
the  Bittern.  It  is  impossible  for  words  to  give  those  who 
have  not  heard  this  evening  call,  an  adequate  idea  of  its 
solemnity.  It  is  like  the  interrupted  bellowing  of  a  bull, 
but  hollower  and  louder,  and  is  heard  at  a  mile's  distance, 
as  if  issuing  from  some  formidable  being  that  resided  at  the 
bottom  of  the  waters.  This  is  the  Bittern,  whose  wind- 
pipe is  fitted  to  produce  the  sound  for  which  it  is  remarka- 
ble ;  the  lower  part  of  it,  dividing  into  the  lungs,  being 
supplied  with  a  thin  loose  membrane,  that  can  be  filled  with 
6 


W  VADINO  BIRDS. 

a  large  body  of  air,  and  exploded  at  pleasure.  These  bel- 
lowings  are  chiefly  heard  from  the  beginning  of  spring  to 
the  end  of  autumn ;  and  are  the  usual  calls  during  the  pair- 
ing season." 

The  American  bird,  no  less  than  the  true  Bittern,  is  con- 
sidered by  many  as  excellent  food. 

Total  length  of  the  American  Bittern  31  inches,  (only  27  accord- 
ing to  Wilson.)  Bill  straight,  tapering,  acute,  and  finely  serrated 
towards  the  point,  dark  brown,  on  the  sides  and  beneath,  yellow. 
The  crown  dusky  reddish-brown.  Neck  pale  yellowish-brown ;  mi- 
nutely dotted  with  blackish-brown ;  a  broad  blackish  stripe  on  the 
side  of  the  neck,  from  behind  the  ears.  Dorsal  plumage,  dark  umber 
brown,  barred  and  spotted  with  chestnut  and  yellowish-brown ;  long 
feathers  on  the  shoulders  broadly  edged  wit!i  brownish  yellow. 
Spurious  wing,  primaries,  their  coverts,  and  the  bases  of  the  secon- 
daries, greyish-black ;  their  tips,  lesser  quills,  and  tail  brownish- 
orange,  dotted  witli  black.  Chin  and  part  of  the  throat  whitish ; 
rest  of  the  under  plumage,  ochre-yellow,  unspotted  on  the  vent, 
under  tail  coverts,  and  insides  of  the  thighs ;  marked,  however,  on 
the  neck,  breast  and  belly  with  central  stripes  of  mottled  clove- 
brown  ;  flanks  dusky,  with  light  irregular  bars.  Legs  greenish-yellow. 
2d  and  3d  quills  the  longest.  Tail  rounded,  of  10  feathers.  Middle 
cl»^  pectiii^ted.        ,    ,     ....     ■'_ 


-   :,     ■':     ■■-^t-;-;-^*T^i; 

. 

.'?  J  ■  -i'  •    .•:,{'  tjlf  '-' 

1     ".'...i-'V-h.   h-  - 

-  -ti.  -  I  -     ";^  *r.   ^'■" :  ■. ' 

,4.- 

,  t.'    :  *"»f*  .hv^^-J 

;r.  r                  ;j''*^ 

f. 

,'  I-''     ■  »*    >■•;•    i-ii   t|i!S3 

,,j     .^.    i>v--ift  ;•¥  'U^^ 

.V     fn      ,:.i      ■le!^y    ;-'^ 

^•i 


V, 


'i  ' 
1  *  i 


GREEN  HERON. 

(Ardea  virescens,  Lin.    Wilson,  vii.  p.  97.  pi.  61.  fig.  1.    Phil.  Mu- 
seum, No.  3797.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Crested;  dark  glossy  green;  neck  and  breast  dark 
vinaceous  red ;  a  line  from  the  chin  down  the  throat,  white,  with 
dusky  streaks. — Advit  having  the  back  ornamented  with  long 
tapering  feathers.  —  The  young  much  less  brilliant,  and  destitute 
of  the  dorsal  train. 

The  Green  Bittern,  known  in  many  parts  much  better 
by  a  contemptible  and  disgusting  name,  is  the  most  common 
and  familiar  species  of  the  genus  in  the  United  States. 
Early  in  April,  or  as  soon  as  the  marshes  are  so  far  thawed 
as  to  afford  them  the  means  of  subsistence,  they  arrive  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  soon  afler  are  seen  in  New  England,  but 


64 


WADING  BIRDS. 


are  unknown  in  the  remote  and  colder  parts  oC  Gaa&ii^ 
Many  winter  in  the  swamps  of  the  Southern  Statds,  though 
others  retire  in  all  probability  to  the  warmer  regions  of  the 
continent,  as  they  are  observed  at  that  season  in  the  large 
islands  of  Hayti  and  Jamaica. 

In  common  with  other  species,  whose  habits  are  princi- 
pally nocturnal,  the  Green  Bittern  seeks  out  the  gloomy 
retreat  of  the  woody  swamp,  the  undrainable  bog,  and  the 
sedgy  marsh.  He  is  also  a  common  hermit,  on  the  inun- 
dated, dark  willow  and  alder  shaded  banks  of  sluggish 
streams,  and  brushy  ponds,  where  he  not  only  often  asso 
ciates  with  the  kindred  Kwa  Birds  and  Great  Herons,  but 
frequently  with  the  more  petulant  herd  of  chattering  Black- 
birds. When  surprised  or  alarmed,  he  rises  in  a  hurried 
manner,  uttering  a  hollow  guttural  scream,  and  a  'k'w,  'Ar'tr, 
'k'w,  but  does  not  fly  far,  being  very  sedentary,  and  soon 
alighting  on  some  stump  or  tree,  looks  round  with  an  ou(p 
stretched  neck,  and  balancing  himself  for  further  retreat, 
frequently  jets  his  tail.  He  sometimes  flies  high,  with  his 
neck  reclining,  and  his  legs  extended,  flapping  his  wings, 
and  proceeding  with  considerable  expedition.  He  is  also 
the  least  shy,  of  all  our  species,  as  well  as  the  most  numer- 
ous and  widely  dispersed,,  being  seen  far  inland,  even  on 
the  banks  of  the  Missouri,  nearly  to  the  river  Platte,  and 
frequent  near  all  the  maritime  marshes,  and  near  ponds,  and 
streams  in  general.  He  is  also  particularly  attracted  by 
artificial  ponds  for  fish,  not  refraining  even  to  visit  gardens 
and  domestic  premises,  which  any  prospect  of  fare  may  offer. 
He  is,  at  the  same  time,  perhaps  as  much  in  quest  of  the 
natural  enemy  of  the  fish,  the  frog,  as  of  the  legitimate 
tenants  of  the  pond.  These  bold  and  intrusive  visits  are 
cotnmonly  made  early  in  the  morning,  ov  towards  twilight, 
and  he  not  unfrequently,  when  pressed  by  hunger,  or  ailer 
ill  sucoess,  turns  out  to  hunt  his  fare  by  day,  as  well  as  dusk. 


:J 


<^ 


g^^^^.^*i; 


,t— „.^--t*»». 


iftn-iiriiinKi  imitm^maiiitmmmittuiM 


OREXN  HEBON. 


65 


I 


and,  at  such  times,  collects  varions  larvsB,  particularly  those 
of  the  dragon  fly,  with  grasshoppers,  and  different  kinds  of 
insects.  At  other  times  he  preys  upon  small  fish,  crabs  and 
frogs,  for  which  he  oflen  lies  patiently  in  wait  till  they 
reappear  from  their  hiding  places  in  the  water  or  mud,  and 
on  being  transfixed  and  caught,  which  is  effected  with  great 
dexterity,  they  are  commonly  beaten  to  death,  if  large,  and 
afterwards  swallowed  at  leisure. 

The  Small  Bittern,  in  the  Middle  States,  usually  begins 
to  build  about  the  15th  of  April,  sometimes  in  solitary  pairs, 
in  dark  and  swampy  woods,  at  other  times  in  companies, 
and,  as  already  remarked,  by  a  similarity  of  taste  and  habit, 
they  frequently  join  the  heronries  of  the  larger  species,  as 
a  sort  of  humble  dependants,  and  watchful  defenders  of 
the  general  eyry.  The  nest  is  fixed  in  the  branches  of 
trees,  occasionally  concealed  also  in  the  summit  of  a  hollow 
trunk,  made  wholly  of  twigs,  lined  only  with  finer  ones,  and 
is  of  considerable  size,  but  slovenly  put  together.  The 
eggs  are  4,  oblong,  and  of  a  pale  blue  color.  The  young, 
as  usual,  slowly  acquire  the  full  use  of  their  limbs,  and  re- 
main patiently  in  the  nest  until  able  to  fly.  Late  in  the 
autumn,  thoy  begin  to  retire  from  the  colder  parts  of  the 
Union,  seceding  gradually,  and  proceeding  usually  by  single 
families  together. 


n 


."J;. 


This  species  is  about  18  inches  long ;  and  35  in  alar  extent.  Bill 
black,  nearly  straight,  lighter  below,  and  yellow  at  the  base.  Dorsal 
train  hoary  green,  shafted  with  white  on  a  dark  green  ground. 
Wings  and  tail,  dark  glossy  green,  tipt  and  bordered  with  yellowish- 
white.  Legs  and  feet  yellow,  tinged  with  green.  Belly  asby-brown. 
Crested  head,  dark  glossy  green,     Irids  orange. 


e* 


WADINO   BIRIMI. 


Subgenus. — Ardeola.    (Bonap.)  , 

In  these,  the  smallest  birds  of  the  fkmily,  the  legs  are  compara- 
tively short,  the  thighs  feathered  to  the  knees,  and  the  membrane 
uniting  the  toes  merely  rudimental.  The  sexes  somewhat  different. 
The  plumage  of  the  young  distinct  from  both.  Their  habits,  like 
the  Bitterns,  are  chiefly  nocturnal.  They  nest  and  dwell  in  marshy 
grounds,  and  hiding,  and  running  out  far  in  their  coverts  rather  than 
take  to  wing,  they  are  but  seldom  seen  abroad ;  food  as  usual. 


.1^... 


LEAST  BITTERN.  ^ 

(Ardeaenalis,  Gmxl.    Wilson,  viii.  p.  37.  pi.  65.  fig.  4.  Phil.  Muse- 
um, No.  3814.) 

Sp.  Charaot.  —  Chestnut,  beneath  whitish;  neck  above  rufous; 
sides  cream-colored ;  crown,  primaries,  tail,  and  tuft  each  side  of 
the  breast,  dusky.    Length  about  12  inches. 

This  smallest  of  the  Bitterns,  and  closely  related  to  the 
diminutive  species  of  Europe  (Ardea  minuta,)  inhabits  the 
United  States  in  summer,  probably  to  the  extremity  of  the 
state  of  New  Hampshire,  but  are  in  every  place  of  rare  occur- 
rence, from  their  habit  of  selecting  the  remotest  parts  of 
extensive  marshes,  from  whence  they  seldom  ever  issue,  till 
the  period  of  migration,  which  is  no  doubt  nocturnal,  in 
accordance  with  their  usual  habits.  They  are  seen  in  Ja- 
maica, also,  and  several  other  of  the  West  India  islands,  but 
whether  the  birds  of  the  United  States  extend  their  migra- 
tions within  the  tropics,  is  as  yet  unknown,  though  not  im- 
probable, as  they  pass  on  to  the  north  to  breed  in  the  spring, 
as  soon  as  the  marshes  are  sufficiently  thawed  for  their  re- 
ception. They  are  rarely  ever  seen  in  salt  meadows,  and 
live  principally  upon  the  small  fish  of  fresh  waters,  or  inlets, 
and  upon  aquatic  insects.     Towards  autumn,  they  are  occa- 


"^^*>-titlniiiiimnj,.  I 


ARAMVS.   -Mf 


fff 


' 


rionally  started  in  the  interior  of  the  great  marshes  of  Fresh 
Pond,  near  Boston,  where  they  probably  breed,  in  the  sedgy 
tussocks  ;  though  we  have  occasionally  seen  one  or  two  in 
the  society  of  the  Kwa  Birds,  in  the  dark  woody  swamp  of 
their  breeding  place.  We  are  not  conscious  that  they  ever 
utter  any  very  audible  note,  at  least,  they  are  perfectly  silent 
when  surprised  in  their  retreat.  The  eggs  of  the  European 
species  are  described  as  being  white.  According  to  Wilson, 
a  few  of  these  birds  also  breed  in  the  low  marshy  meadows 
below  Philadelphia. 

The  Least  Bittern  is  about  12  inches  in  length,  and  16  in  alar  ex- 
tent. Bill,  nearly  straight,  yellow,  ridged  with  black,  2^  inches 
long.  Lores,  pale  yellow.  Irids,  bright  yellow.  Crested  head,  back, 
scapulars  and  tail,  deep  dusky,  reflecting  slight  tints  of  green.  Throat 
white,  tinged  in  places  with  buff.  Hind  part  of  the  neck  dark  chest- 
nut  bay.  Sides  of  the  neck,  cheeks,  and  line  over  the  eye,  brown 
buff.  Greater  wing-coverts  chestnut,  with  a  spot  of  the  same  at 
the  bend  of  the  wing.  Primaries,  dusky.  Breast  white,  with  an 
ochreous  tint,  beneath  which  are  a  number  of  blackish  feathers. 
Belly  and  vent  white.  Legs  greenish  on  the  shins,  the  hind  part  and 
feet  yellow ;  thighs  almost  wholly  feathered ;  middle  claw  pectin- 
ated ;  feet  large.  Sexes  nearly  alike  in  plumage.  The  young  are 
brown  on  the  crown  and  back. 


nn'-;.' 


y  1';- 


ARAMUS.     (VieiUoty  Temm.    Scolopax,  Lin.) 

,  With  the  bill  much  longer  than  the  head,  cleft  beneath  the  eyes, 
atraight,  compressed  and  somewhat  curved  at  tip ;  upper  mandible 
slightly  furrowed ;  the  lower  turgid  towards  the  middle,  acute,  and 
angular  beneath.  Nostrils  wide,  linear,  pervious,  situated  above 
the  base  of  the  bill.  Head  wholly  feathered ;  the  lores  naked.  Feet 
long,  the  naked  space  above  the  tarsus  extensive ;  toes  entirely  divid- 
ed ;  hind  toe  half  the  length  of  the  inner,  bearing  on  the  ground 
with  several  joints ;  nails  long  and  slender,  the  posterior  longest. 
Wings  moderate,  the  first  primary  rather  short  and  curved ;  the  3d 
longest.  Tail  short,  of  12  feathers.  d; 


06 


WADING   BIRDS. 


Bezea  nearly  aimilar  in  plumage,  and  scarcely  diitinguishable  fVom 
the  young.     The  moult  annual. 

These  are  shy  and  solitary  birds,  dwelling  iuarid  and  desert  plaint, 
where  they  usually  lie  concealed,  but  ily  rapidly  to  a  great  elevation 
at  soon  as  they  are  aware  of  being  discovered.  They  alight  on  treei, 
and  walk  with  agility,  keeping  the  tail  in  motion  when  alarmed. 
They  nest  in  the  grass,  have  a  loud  and  shrill  voice,  and  subsist  prin- 
cipally upon  frogs  and  insects.  The  genus,  consisting  of  but  one 
well  known  species,  is  peculiar  to  the  warmer  parts  of  America,  and 
is  almost  intermediate  in  its  habits  and  structure  with  Ardta  and 
JiTumenius,  (the  Herons  and  Curlews.)  It  is  also  nearly  allied  to  the 
Rails,  with  which  indeed  some  have  arranged  it.      i'  -    •,., 


SCOLOPACEOUS  COURLAN. 

(Aramns  scolopaceus,  Vieill.    Bonap.  Am.  Orn.  iv.  p.  111.  pi.  26. 
fig.  3.    Ardea  scolopacea,  Ghel.     Lath.  Orn.  ii.  p.  701.  sp.  89.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Brown,  glossed  with  green ;  feathers  longitudinally 
marked  with  white  in  the  middle;  rump,  primaries,  and  tail 
feathers,  without  spots. 

This  singular  bird  principally  inhabits  Cayenne,  Brazil 
and  Paraguay,  where  it  is  rather  common ;  it  is  numerous 
in  the  island  of  Cuba,  and  other  warm  parts  of  America. 
In  the  United  States,  Florida  appears  to  be  its  most  natural 
residence,  and  a  few  instances  have  occurred  of  its  visiting 
the  Middle  States.  The  Courlan  leads  a  solitary  life,  or  only 
associates  by  pairs.  By  night  as  well  as  day  they  are  heard 
crying  out  in  a  loud  and  sonorous  voice  carau!  and  are 
well  entided  to  the  name  of  the  supposed  *  crying-bird'  of 
Bartram.  Mollusca,  frogs,  and  other  aquatic  animals  are  its 
ordinary  food.  It  is  very  shy,  carefully  hiding  itself,  but 
when  aware  of  being  discovered,  it  starts  rapidly  to  a  great 
elevation,  and  its  flight  is  long  continued.  They  also  walk 
with  great  agility,  but  never  willingly  wade  into  the  water  ; 
they  alight  on  the  summits  of  trees,  and  build  in  the  grass, 


»» 


)  tXAMINOO. 


60 


f 


i 


bear  stagnant  water,  concealing  their  nest  with  much  art : 
the  eggs  are  but  two.  The  young  follow  their  parents  soon 
after  they  are  hatched,  and  are  covered  with  blackish  down. 
The  Courlan  inhabits  the  low  shores  and  swamps  of  the 
rivers  and  lakes  in  Florida,  and  perhaps  Georgia.  Like  the 
Rail,  it  runs  swiftly  through  the  grass,  compressing  its  narrow 
body  so  as  to  pass  tlirough  a  small  hole,  and  is  very  difficult 
to  catch  when  wounded. 

The  Courlan  is  about  2  feci  long ;  and  3  feet  8  inches  in  alar  ex- 
tent. The  bill  4^  inches  in  length, yellow  at  base,  and  bluish-black 
at  tip.  Iris,  brown,  Logs  pale  lead  color;  tarsus  4^  inches  long'.  The 
body  is  compressed,  but  fleshy  ;  the  neck  cylindrical  and  slender  ; 
the  face  and  lora  entirely  feathered.  The  general  color  of  the  bird 
is  a  deep  chocolate  brown,  or  sooty  hue  ;  the  feathers  are  however, 
paler  on  their  margins,  and  there  is  on  each,  about  the  middle,  a 
broad  lanceolate  white  spot,  most  conspicuous  on  the  wing  coverts. 
Rump,  upper  and  lower  tail  coverts,  outer  large  wing  coverts,  vent, 
all  the  quills  and  tail  feathers  are  unspotted,  and  of  a  bright  choco- 
late brown,  with  a  greenish  gloss,  but  darker  and  with  purplish  re- 
flections on  the  quills  and  tail.   Throat  entirely  whitish.         ,   ,. 


FLAMINGO.      (Phcenfcopterus.*    Lin.) 


J  M' 


In  the  birds  of  this  genus,  the  bill  is  large,  higher  than  wide, 
light  and  hollow,  naked  at  its  base,  the  upper  mandible  suddenly  bent 
downward  in  the  middle,  and  curved  over  the  lower  towards  the 
point;  the  lower  mandible  wider  than  the  upper,  the  margins  of 
both  finely  toothed.  Nostrils  longitudinal,  narrow,  pervious,  situated 
about  the  middle  of  the  bill,  and  covered  above  by  an  extensible 
membrane.  Tongue  very  thick  and  fleshy,  roughened  with  papille). 
Feet,  legs  very  long,  3  toes  before,  the  hinder  one  very  short,  being 
articulated  very  high  upon  the  tarsus ',  feet  almost  entirely  webbed, 


*  An  ancient  Greek  name,  compounded  of  ^toivil^  tlie  Phanieian  or  purple  dye, 
and  nrepov,  a  leing ;  and  hence  the  Portuguese  name  of  Flamingo,  and  the  Frencb 
Flammant,  all  alluding  to  the  brilliant  hue  of  the  bird. 


\y 


70 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


the  web  indented  ;  rutUs  ihort  and  flat.  Wingi  moderate  In  dimen* 
■ioni,  the  lit  and  3d  primaries  nearly  equal  and  longest.  Tail  abort, 
of  16  feathers. 

The  neck  is  exceedingly  long,  and  yery  slender ;  the  female  smaller 
and  somewhat  paler  than  the  male.  The  young  differ  greatly  IVom 
the  adult,  and  change  their  plumage  repeatedly.  The  moult  is 
annual ;  colors  red,  at  first  white,  and  rose  color. 

The  Flamingos,  inhabiting  solitary  sea  coasts  in  all  the  warmer 
ports  of  ilie  world,  ussociato  and  migrate  in  large  flocks,  forming 
tliemselvcB  into  an  angular  phalanx  like  the  Wild  Geese.  They 
feed  upon  molluscous  a  limals,  spawn,  and  insects,  which  they  are 
in  the  habit  of  fishing  up  by  means  of  their  long  necks,  turning  their 
bill  upside  down,  to  take  advantage  of  its  peculiar,  and  otherwise 
awkward  form ;  they  even  assist  themselves  oflen  in  walking,  by 
placing  the  flat  part  of  their  upper  mandible  upon  the  ground  in  the 
manner  of  a  support.  They  are  extremely  shy,  and  watchful ;  estab- 
lishing  sentinels  to  give  warning  of  danger,  by  a  loud  trumpet-like 
call.  They  breed  also  in  societies  in  inundated  marshes  ;  during  the 
progress  of  incubation,  raising  the  nest  to  the  height  of  the  body, by 
collecting  the  mud  into  a  hillock  with  their  feet,  where  they  brood 
and  hatch  oflen  standing  in  the  water.  The  eggs  are  2  or  3,  white, 
and  of  an  elongated  form.  The  young  run  as  soon  as  hatched.  They 
sleep  standing  upon  one  leg,  with  the  neck  folded  back  upon  the 
body,  and  the  head  reclined  under  the  wing.  They  run  swiftly,  but 
never  swim  from  choice.  Their  scent  and  hearing  are  also  very 
acute.  The  genus  consists  of  4  species,  one  of  which  inhabits  Eu- 
rope, and  another,  so  similar  as  to  be  mistaken  for  the  same,  is  pe- 
culiar to  the  warmer  parts  of  the  present  continent. 


f 


^i. 


AMERICAN,  OR  RED  FLAMINGO. 

(Phcentcopterus  nUter,  Lin.  Wilson,  viii.  p.  45.  pi.  66.  fig.  4.  [adult,] 
and  BoNAP.  Am.  Orn.  iii.  [young.]  Phil.  Museum,  No.  3545, 
[young  of  the  year,]  No.  3546,  [of  the  2d  year.]  ) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Red,  quills  black. —  Young,  grayish- white.** 

The  Flamingo  of  America  is  found  chiefly  in  the  tropical 
regions,  from  whence  it  appears  to  emigrate  in  summer,  on 
either  side  the  equator ;  in  the  southern  hemisphere,  visiting 


*  The  transatlanUo  species  is  thus  dietingubibed  by  Temminck. 

PKmtdeoptenu  antiquorum.  Rose  color ;  wings,  red  ;  quills,  black.—  Toung  wbitidi, 
wtth  strongly  marked  long  brownish  blotches.  Le  thanxicopUre,  Buffoit, 
Fl.  Enlum,  63,  [adult.] 

This  species  inhabits  the  warm  regions  of  the  old  continent,  migrating  in  sum- 
ner  to  southern,  and  occasionallj  to  central  Europe,  and  is  rare. 


)  : 


n 


WADING  BIRDS. 


Brazil,  Peru,  Chili,  and  Buenos  Ayres,  on  the  shores  of  La 
Plata.  It  is  also  seen  in  Cayenne,  (where  it  is  known  by 
the  name  of  Tococo,  from  the  usuii  sound  of  its  call,)  and 
in  various  islands  of  the  West  Indies.  They  breed  in  Cuba 
and  the  Bahamas,  are  not  unfrequent  at  certain  seasons  on 
the  coast  of  Florida,  and  soniovmes  solitary  individuals  are 
observed  even  in  the  Middle  States,  but  in  the  Union  gen- 
erally, the  species  may  be  considered  as  rare.  When  seen 
at  a  distance,  such  is  the  brilliancy  of  their  dress,  and  the 
elevation  at  which  they  stand,  that  they  appear  like  a  troop 
of  soldiers,  being  arranged  alongside  of  each  other,  in  Hnes, 
while  on  the  borders  of  rivers  and  estuaries  near  tf  sea, 
they  assemble  in  search  of  their  food,  which  consists  chiefly 
of  small  fish,  spawn,  and  aquatic  insects.  They  collect 
their  prey  by  plunging  in  the  bill  and  part  of  the  head ;  and 
from  time  to  time  trample  with  their  feei,  to  disturb  the 
water,  and  raise  it  from  the  bottom.  While  the  rest  are 
thus  employed  in  seeking  their  subsistence,  one  of  them 
stands  sentinel,  and,  on  the  first  note  of  alarm,  a  kind  of 
trumpet  cull,  he  takes  to  wing,  and  the  whole  flock  immedi- 
ately follow. 

The  flesh  of  the  American  Flamingo  is  accounted  pretty 
good  food,  and  that  of  the  young  is  thought  by  some  as  equal 
to  the  partridge.  Davies,  in  his  History  of  Barbardoes,  (p. 
88,)  says  they  are  commonly  fat,  and  accounted  delicate. 
While  of  the  transatlantic  species,  Dillon*  remarks,  that, 
the  inhabitants  of  Provence  always  throw  away  the  flesh,  as 
it  tastes  fishy,  and  only  make  use  of  the  feathers,  as  orna- 
ments. But  of  this  kind,  celebrated  in  history,  the  ancients 
esteemed  the  tongue  as  an  exquisite  dainty  :t  and  Philostra- 
tnis  reckoned  them  among  the  delicacies  of  entertainments. 
Juvenal,  upbraiding  the  Romans  with  their  luxury,  says, 


*  Travels  p.  374. 


t  See  Pliny  iz.  cap.  48. 


*4  V 


AV08ET. 


. 


they  cover  their  tables  with  the  rare  birds  of  Scythia,  and 
with  the  phcenicopterus.  Apicius,  that  deepest  abyss  of 
wastefulness,  as  Pliny  calls  him,  probably  cotemporary  with 
Tiberius,  was  the  first  who  discovered  in  the  tongue  of  the 
Flamingo,  after  being  highly  seasoned,  that  exquisite  relish, 
which  so  recommended  it  to  the  epicures.  Among  the  ex- 
travagances of  Heliogabalus  and  Vitellius,  were  dishes  of 
these  tongues ;  and  Martial,  upbraiding  the  Romans  for  their 
wanton  taste,  imagines  the  Flamingo  complaining, 

Dat  mihi  penna  rubens  nomen ;  sed  lingua  gulosis 
,  ,      Nostra  sapit :  quid,  si  garrula  lingua  foret  ? 

The  Flamingo  has  the  neck  and  legs  in  a  greater  disproportion  than 
any  other  bird.  The  length  from  the  end  of  the  bill  to  that  of  the 
tail  ia  4  feet  2  or  3  inches ;  but  to  the  end  of  the  claws  measures 
sometimes  more  than  6  feet.  The  bill  is  4^  inches  long ;  as  far  as  the 
bend  black,  but  from  thence  to  the  base,  reddish-yellow;  round  the 
base  quite  to  the  eye,  covered  with  a  flesh-coloretl  cere.  The  tongue 
is  large  and  fleshy,  filling  the  cavity  of  the  bill,  and  furnished  with  12 
or  more  hooked  and  reverted  papillae  on  each  side ;  the  tip  is  also 
sharp  and  cartilaginous.  The  plumage  deep  scarlet  in  the  adult, 
except  the  quills  which  are  black.  From'the  base  of  the  thigh  to  the 
claws,  measures  32  inches,  of  which  the  feathered  part  takes  up  no 
more  than  3. 


AVOSET.     (Recurvirostra,  Lin.) 

In  the  birds  of  this  genus  the  bill  is  very  long,  weak,  slender, 
depressed  tliroughout  its  whole  length,  flexible,  recurved  from  the 
middle,  and  slightly  curved  at  the  tip ;  mandibles  about  equal,  and 
furrowed  each  side  at  the  base.  Nostrils,  in  the  furrow  of  the  bill, 
basal,  long  and  linear,  open.  Feet  long  and  slender ;  3  toes  before, 
hind  toe  minute,  and  articulated  high  upon  the  tarsus ;  the  anterior 
toes  webbed  to  the  second  joint  by  a  deeply  indented  membrane. 
Wings  accuminated,  the  1st  primary  longest. 

The  sexes  similar,  except  in  size,  the  female  being  smaller  :  tlie 
young  also  differ  but  little  from  the  adult.  They  moult  but  once  in 
7 


74 


WADING   BIRDS. 


the  year ;  niimely,  in  autumn,  acquiring,  however,  in  spring,  many 
additional  feathers.  The  plumage  rather  thick  and  close,  and  well 
provided  with  down. 

The  Avosets  live  by  pairs,  or  small  companies,  in  inundated  marsh- 
es, where  they  are  constantly  obliged  to  wade.  They  run  with  rapid- 
ity in  or  out  of  the  water,  but  do  not  habitually  swim,  though  their 
feet  are  almost  entirely  webbed .  Their  flight  is  rapid  am  1  long  sustain- 
ed ;  and  they  are  naturally  shy,  noisy,  and  timid.  They  feed  on  small 
fish,  insects,  and  spawn,which  they  oiten  seize  by  beating  the  water, 
as  well  as  by  probing  the  mud,  in  the  manner  of  the  Woodcock  or 
Snipe.  Their  nests  are  usually  small  cavities  in  the  earth,  lined  with 
a  few  weeds,  or  merely,  the  bosom  of  the  bare  sand ;  sometimes, 
however,  the  nest  is  in  some  measure  artificially  elevated,  as  if  to 
avoid  the  access  of  expected  tides.  The  eggs  are  2  to  4 :  both  sexes 
take  their  turns  at  incubation,  and  at  such  times  fold  their  long  legs 
to  the  body.  V   /        ■ 

The  genus  consists  of  4  species,  dispersed  respectively  over  as 
many  quarters  of  the  globe.  In  form  and  habits  they  are  closely 
related  to  the  Stilts  (Himantopus.) 


AMERICAN  AVOSET. 

(Recurvirostra  americana,  Lin.     Wilson,  vii.  p.  126.  pi.  63.  fig.  2 
Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  212.  No.  421.    Phil.  Museum,  No  4250.) 

Sp.Chakact.  —  White;  tail  tinged  with  cinereou-j ;  bac.'.  and  \ricgs 
black ;  whole  head  and  neck  pale  rufous. 

The  American  Avoset,  supposed  to  winter  in  tropical 
America,  arrives  on  the  coast  of  Cape  May,  in  New  Jersey, 
late  in  April,  where  it  rears  its  young,  and  with  them  again 
retires  to  the  south,  early  in  the  month  of  October.  In  the 
spring  they  were  observed  by  Mr.  Say,  in  the  lower  part  of 
Missouri.  They  are  also  known  to  visit  Nova  Scotia,  though 
scarcely  ever  seen  in  the  State  of  Massachusetts.  Doctor 
Richardson  also  found  them  abundant  in  the  Saskatchewan 


76 


WADING   BIRDS. 


plains,  as  far  as  the  53d  parallel,  wheie  they  frequent  shallow 
lakes,  feeding  on  insects,  and  fresh-water  Crustacea.  In 
New  Jersey,  they  seem  to  have  a  predilection  for  the  shallow 
pools  of  the  salt  marshes,  wading  about  often,  in  search  of 
their  prey,  which  consists  of  marine  worms,  small  paludinas, 
turbos,  &c.  to  which,  like  the  European  species,  they  some- 
times add,  small  J^ci,  or  marine  vegetables. 

The  Avosets,  near  their  breeding  places,  are  very  noisy, 
quailing  and  clamorous ;  flying  around  in  circles  near  their 
invaders,  and,  in  a  sharp  but  plaintive  tone,  uttering  *  clik, 
'clik,  'clik,  in  the  manner  of  the  Stilts  or  Long  Legs 
( Himantopus,)  with  which  at  times,  they  familiarly  associate, 
in  small  numbers,  to  pass  the  important  period  of  reproduc- 
tion. Like  them  also,  they  alight  on  the  marsh,  or  in  the 
water  indifferently,  fluttering  their  loose  wings,  and  shaking 
their  tottering  and  bending  legs,  as  if  ready  to  fall,  keep- 
ing up  at  the  same  time,  a  continual  yelping.  The  nest,  in 
the  same  marsh  with  the  Stilts,  was  hidden  in  a  thick  tuft  of 
grass  or  sedge,  at  a  small  distance  from  one  of  their  favorite 
pools.  It  was  composed  of  small  twigs  of  some  marine  shrub, 
withered  grass,  sea-weeds,  and  other  similar  materials,  the 
whole  raised  to  the  height  of  several  inches.  The  eggs  were 
4,  of  a  dull  olive  color,  marked  with  large  irregular  blotches 
of  dark  brown,  mingled  with  others  of  a  fainter  hue.  The 
period  of  incubation  commences  about  the  middle  of  May. 

The  Scooping  Avoset  of  Europe,  so  like  to  the  American 
species,  is  very  widely  spread  over  the  old  continent,  being 
found  ali  over  Europe,  in  Siberia,  the  deserts  of  Tartary, 
and  even  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Salerne  says,  that  on 
the  coasts  of  Bas  Poictou,  in  France,  they  are  so  abundant, 
that,  in  the  breeding  season,  the  peasants  take  the  eggs  by 
thousands.  They  are  said  also  to  be  very  tenacious  of  their 
young,  and  when  disturbed,  fly  around,  uttering  a  plaintivQ 
note,  that  resembles  the  word  'twit,  twice  repeated, 


AMERICAN   AVOSET. 


7t 


BufTon,  theorizing  on  the  singular  structure  of  the  bill  of 
the  Avoset,  supposes  it  to  be  "  one  of  those  errors  or  essays  of 
nature,  which,  if  carried  a  little  further,  would  destroy  itself; 
for  if  the  curvature  of  the  bill  were  a  degree  increased,  the 
bird  could  not  procure  any  sort  of  food ;  and  the  organ  des- 
tined for  the  support  of  life,  would  infallibly  occasion  its  de- 
struction."    As  it  happens,  however,  and  not  as  miffht  be 
imagined,  the  Avoset,  no  less  than  the  Crossbill,  continues 
not  only  to  live,  but  to  vary  its  fare,  and  obtain  it  with  facility. 
Even  the  Sloth,  that  triumph  on  the  occasional  imbecility  of 
nature,  so  wretched  and  lost  upon  the  plain  ground,  for  which 
the  motions  of  its  peculiar  and  unequal  limbs  are  not  calcu- 
lated, climbs  up  a  tree  with  facility,  and  like  the  tribe  of 
monkeys,  js  perfectly  at  ease  in  his  accustomed  arborial 
retreat.     Let  us  then  more  wisely  content  ourselves  to  ob- 
serve nature  in  all  her  i  igenious  paths,  without  daring,  in 
our  ignorance,  to  imagi  le  the  possible  failure  of  her  conser- 
vative laws. 

The  American  Avoset  is  about  18^  inches  long ;  and  2^  leet  in  Jilar 
stretch.  Tut  bill  is  black,  and  about  4  inches  in  length,  curving  up- 
wards, except  at  the  extremity,  where  it  is  reflected  and  terminated  in 
a  fine  point.  Iris  reddish  hazel.  Head,  neck,  and  breast,  of  a  light 
sorrel  color.  Chin,  and  region  round  the  eye  nearly  white.  Upper 
part  of  back  and  wings  black.  Scapulars  and  almost  the  whole  back, 
white,  though  generally  concealed  by  the  black  of  the  upper  parts. 
Belly,  vent,  and  thighs  white.  Tail  equal  at  the  end,  white,  with  a 
faint  tinge  oi'  v  inereous.  Greater  coverts  tipt  with  white ;  tertials 
dusky  :  secondaries  white  on  their  outer  edges,  and  whole  inner  vanes ; 
rest  of  the  wing  black.  Legs  pale,  light  blue,  (greenish  black,  Rich- 
ardson) 4  inches  long,  —  The  female  about  2  inches  shorter.  This 
bird  differs  from  that  of  the  Arctic  Zoology,  in  wanting  a  white  space 
between  the  scapulars,  and  in  the  white  band  on  the  outer  scapulars 
not  being  continued  over  the  humeral  joint. 

Note.     A  second  species,  with  a  white,  instead  of  a  rufous  neck, 
head  and  breast,  and  very  nearly  allied,   if  not  identic,  with  the 
European,  or  Oriental  Avoset,  was  shot  near  to  the  Great  Northern 
7* 


v^ 


78 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


Beni^  of  the  Missouri,  and  is  now,  I  believe,  in  the  extensive  museum 
of  the  Right  Honorable  Lord  Stanley,  at  Knowsley  Hall. 


SPOONBILLS.     (Platalea,  Lin.) 

In  these  the  bill  is  very  l^ng,  large,  much  flattened,  dilated  and 
orbicular  at  the  extremity ;  upper  mandible  deeply  furrowed,  and 
transversely  grooved  towards  its  base,  terminated  by  a  hooked  nail. 
Nostrils,  in  the  furrow,  basal,  near  together,  oblong,  open,  mar- 
gined by  a  membrane.  Head  and  Face,  in  part,  or  entirely  naked. 
FfM,  fiirsus,  but  little  longer  than  the  middle  toe,  robust ;  the  three 
fucQ  toes  united  as  far  as  the  second  joint,  by  a  deeply  indented  mem- 
Vvanc  :  hind  toe  long,  bearing  on  the  ground  nearly  its  whole  length. 
JVra/r^-  moderate,  ample;  let  primary  a  little  shorter  than  the  2d; 
second  longest.     Tail  of  12  feathers. 

Mule  and  female  nearly  alike  in  plumage.  Th6  young  differ  much 
frois  ihe  adult,  changing  the  colors  of  their  dress,  and  the  appear- 
ance 1)1  the  bill,  until  the  third  year.  The  moult  takes  place  oucein 
the  jiiar. 

The  Spoonbills  associate  in  small  flocks,  living  in  woody  marshes, 
near  the  outlets  of  rivers ;  and  are  rarely  seen  in  the  immediate  vi- 
cinity of  the  sea.  They  wade  slowly  into  the  water,  after  the  man- 
ner of  Herons,  but  though  provided  with  considerable  webs  to  the 
feet,  they  rarely  ever  swim.  Their  flight  is  easy,  slow,  and  con- 
ducted usually  at  a  considerable  elevation ;  they  also  alight  on  trees, 
and  are  said  to  be  noisy,  more  particularly  at  the  breeding  season ; 
and  for  this  purpose,  like  the  Cranes,  the  males  are  provided  with  an 
extensive  and  replicated  trachea.  They  feed  on  small  fish,  spawn, 
reptiles,  minute  shell-fish,  insects  and  worms,  and  occasionally  on 
vegetable  substances,  probing  the  mud  with  their  sensitive  and  enor- 
mous bills,  and  sometimes  they  are  said  to  have  the  art  to  clatter  their 
mandibles  together  in  such  a  manner  as  to  scare  other  birds  out  of 
their  prey.  They  nest,  accord"  ;:^  to  t'x'  convenience  of  the  situation, 
eitlier  in  trees,  shrubs,  or  mercy  in  tiie  rushes,  on  the  borders  of 
large  lakes,  or  in  the  vicinity  o'  the  sea  coast.  Tt.o  eggs  are  2  to  4, 
hatched  by  the  female  alone,  who  is  fed  by  the  male  during  this  period, 
but  both  at  length  join  in  the  charge  of  the  imbecile  young,  who 
remain  in  the  nest  until  fully  fledged. 


ROSEATE   SPOONBILL. 


70 


The  apecies,  only  about  three,  are  spread  throughout  all  the  warm 
and  temperate  climates,  one  being  confined  to  Europe  alone,  and 
another  to  the  whole  extent  of  the  American  continent.  They  are 
allied  in  form  and  habits  to  the  family  of  the  Herons  (Herodii.) 


ROSEATE  SPOONBILL. 

(Platalea ajaja,  Lin.  Wilson,  vii.  p.  123.  pi.  63.  fig.  1.  [an individual 
of  middle  age  .'J  Buffon,  PI.  Enlum,  p.  116.  ^jaja,  Marcgrave, 
p.  204.     Phil.  Museum,  No.  3553.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Whole  head  bald.  —  Adult  red.  —  Birds  of  middle 
a^,  rose  colored.  —  The  young  white;  blackish  chestnut,  as  soon 
as  hatched. 

The  Red  or  American  Spoonbill  chiefly  dwells  within  the 
tropical  regions  of  the  continent,  being  common  in  Jamaica, 


80 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


and  other  of  the  West  India  islands,  as  well  as  in  Mexico, 
Guiana,  and  Brazil.  In  the  southern  hemisphere  they  are 
said  to  exist  in  Peru,  and  as  far  down  the  coast  of  South 
America  as  Patagonia.  North  of  the  equator,  they  migrate 
in  summer  into  Florida,  and  are  met  with  to  the  con- 
fines of  the  Altamaha,  in  Georgia.  Wilson's  specimen  was 
obtained  up  the  Mississippi,  at  the  town  of  Natchez,  (about 
the  latitude  of  32°.)  They  are  also  occasionally  met  with 
on  the  river  shores  of  the  Alabama,  and  in  other  parts  of 
that  state.  A  straggler  has  been  known  to  wander  as  far  as 
the  banks  of  the  Delaware. 

According  to  the  relation  of  Captain  Henderson,  in  his 
account  of  Honduras,  this  species  is  more  maritime  in  its 
habits  than  that  of  Europe,  as  it  wades  about  in  quest  of 
shell  fish,  marine  insects,  fry,  and  small  crabs ;  and  in  pur- 
suit of  these,  according  to  him,  it  occasionally  swims  and 
dives.  •;,  ...^  '■'■':' 

The  European,  or  white  species,  appears  to  reside  in  much 
cooler  climes  than  the  American,  being  abundant  in  Holland, 
and  even  at  times  visiting  the  shores  of  the  south  and  west 
of  England  in  whole  flocks.  They  are  there,  however,  birds 
of  passage,  and  in  their  migrations  accompany  the  flocks  of 
swans.  As  ve  have  already  said,  in  our  remarks  on  the 
habits  of  the  genus,  the  European  birds  nest  in  troes,  or 
bushes  near  to  the  sea  coast,  and  lay  two  or  three  white  eggs, 
about  the  size  of  those  of  a  hen,  powdered  with  a  few  pale 
rufous  spots.  Their  flesh  is  said  to  savor  like  that  of  the 
tame  goose,  and  the  young  are  esteemed  as  good  food. 

The  Red  Spoonbill  is  about  2  feel  6  inches  long  ;  and  about  4  feet 
in  alar  extent.  The  bill  6^  inches,  2  inches  wide  at  the  widest  ex- 
tremity, and  only  |  of  an  inch  in  the  narrowest  part,  black  for  about 
half  its  length,  and  covered  with  hard  scaly  protuberances.  Tongue 
Tery  small.  Crown  and  chin  bare  of  plumage,  covered  with  a 
greenish  skin,  (at  this  age  of  the  individual ;)  the  fold  of  skin  below  the 


WOOD    IBIS. 


'# 


under  mandible,  dilatable  as  in  the  Gannet.  Space  round  the  eye, 
orange.  Irids  red.  Cheeks  and  hind-head  covered  with  a  bare  black 
■kin.  The  neck  long,  covered  generally  with  short  white  feathers, 
on  the  upper  part  tinged  with  crimson.  Breast  white,  with  a  fulig- 
inous tint  at  the  sides ;  from  the  upper  part  of  the  breast  proceeds  a 
long  tufl  of  pale,  rose  colored  capillary  plumes.  Back  white,  with  a 
slight  brownish  tint.  Wings  rose  color,  beneath  brighter,  the  shafls 
deeper ;  the  shoulders  of  the  wings  as  well  as  the  upper  and  lower 
tail  coverts,  of  a  full  carmine  color,  the  humeral  feathers  capillary. 
Belly  rose,  the  rump  paler.  Tail  even,  of  a  brownish  orange.  Legs 
and  naked  part  of  the  thighs,  dark  sullied  red.  Feet  half  webbed ; 
the  toes  very  long,  particularly  the  hind  one. 


WOOD  IBIS.     (Tantalus,  Lin.   Temm.) 

In  the  birds  of  this  genus,  the  bill  is  stout,  as  wide  as  the  face  at 
its  base,  compressed  and  attenuated,  curved  only  towards  the  point ; 
the  upper  mandible  not  furrowed,  notched ;  the  edges  approximating 
80  closely  as  to  form  a  narrow  channel ;  lower  mandible  not  chan- 
nelled. Nostrils  at  the  base  of  the  bill,  contiguous,  longitudinal, 
elliptical,  pervious,  and  uncovered.  Head  naked  and  warty,  cheeks 
with  scattered  feathers.  Feet  nearly  semipalmated ;  tarsus  twice  as 
long  as  the  middle  toe ;  nails  short  and  rather  blunt.  The  1st  and  2d 
primaries  about  equal,  and  longest. 

The  genus  is  composed  of  but  4  species,  one  in  each  grand  division 
of  the  globe,  except  Europe. 


■Tmii^Mtiii-iTiifTTr^i  i'fci>'aftii||iiifcii' 


'i,., 


WOOD  IBIS. 

(Tantahts  lorvlator,  Li.\-  Wilson,  viii.  p.  39.pl.  GG.  fig.  1.  [adult.] 
Curicaca,  MA\iii<aA\'i~..  p.  191.  Buffon,  Ois.  vii.  p.  27G.  PI.  En- 
lum,  868.  Woud  Pei'r.an,  Catesby,  i.  p.  81.  Lath.  iii.  p.  105. 
Phil.  Museum,  No.  3S62.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  White,  fa.ie  and  head  greenish  blue ;  quills  and  tail 
black,  with  colored  refleotions. —  Young  blackish;  with  the  head 
and  neck  yellowish  white ;  the  belly  cinereous.  —  Female  with  the 
head  and  chin  only  denuded. 

This  is  another  tribe  of  singular  wading  birds,  which 
emigrate  in  the  summer  to  a  certain  distance,  on  either  side 
of  the  equator ;  being  found  occasionally  as  far  north  as  Vir- 
ginia, as  far  south,  in  the  other  hemisphere,  as  the  savan- 
nahs of  Cayenne  and  Brazil,  ai:d  in  other  parts  of  South 
America.  In  the  compass  of  the  United  States,  their  prin- 
cipal residence  is  in  the  inundated  wilds  of  the  peninsula  of 


:  ■■  -^ 


WOOD    IBIS. 


S3 


adult.] 


PI 


.  En- 
105. 


tnd  tail 
head 
ith  the 

^vhich 
side 
Vir- 

iavan- 

South 
prin- 

daof 


East  Florida,  and  they  are  not  uncommon  in  Missi-jsippi, 
Alabama,  Carolina,  and  Georgia,  withdrawing  from  the  north, 
however,  at  the  commencement  of  cold  weather,  or  about 
the  month  of  November. 

According  to  Batram,  who  had  many  opportunities  of  ob- 
serving them  in  Florida,  they  aru  solitary  and  indolent  birds, 
seldom  associating  in  flocks,  and  usually  frequent  the  banks 
of  the  principal  rivers,  marshes  and  savaniutlis,  especially 
such  as  ire  inundated,  as  well  as  the  larg<  ?  ieserted  rice 
plantations,  contiguous  to  the  sea  coast.  Hfe,  ilone,  the 
feathered  hermit  stands  listless,  on  the  f<  >8t  limb  of 
some  tall  and  decayt-d  cypress,  with  his  necK  .tawii  in  upon 
his  shoulders,  and  his  enormous  bill  resting  like  u  scythe 
upon  his  breast.  Thus  pensive  and  lonely,  he  has  a  grave 
and  melancholy  aspect,  as  if  ruminating  in  the  deepest 
thought ;  and  in  this  sad  posture  of  gluttonous  inactivity,  they, 
probably  like  Herons,  pass  the  greatest  part  of  their  time, 
till  awakened  by  the  calls  of  hunger,  they  become  active  in 
quest  of  their  prey  of  snakes,  young  alligators,  fish,  frogs, 
and  other  reptiles.  They  are  easily  approached  and  shot, 
when  abandoned  to  repose,  and  are  by  many  of  the  inhabi- 
tants accounted  as  excellent  food. 

Length  of  the  Wood  Ibis  about  3  feet  2  inches.  The  bill  nearly  9 
inches  long,  and  2  inches  thick  at  the  base,  where  it  rises  high  in  the 
head,  the  whole  of  a  brownish  horn  color ;  the  under  mandible  fits 
into  the  upper  in  its  whole  length,  and  both  are  sharp  edged.  Face, 
naked  head,  and  part  of  the  neck,  wrinkled,  and  dull  greenish  blue. 
Irides  dark  red.  Beneath  the  lower  mandible  is  a  loose  corrugated 
■kin,  or  pouch,  capable  of  containing  about  half  a  pint.  Whole 
body,  neck,  and  lower  parts,  white.  Primaries  dark  glossy  green 
and  purple.  Tail  about  2  inches  shorter  than  the  wings,  even,  and  of 
a  deep  and  rich  violet.  Legs  and  thighs  dusky  green.  Feet  and  toea 
yellowish,  sprinkkd  with  black ;  feet  almost  semipalmated,  and  bor- 
dered to  the  claws  with  a  narrow  membrane.  Plumage  on  the  upper 
ridge  of  the  neck  generally  worn  with  rubbing  on  the  back,  while 
in  its  ordinary  position  of  resting  its  bill  on  the  breast. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I^|2j8     |2.5 
■^  122    12.2 


nil  I.I   1.*^  H^ 


1125 


U   11.6 


Hiotographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  •72-4503 


\ 


iV 


% 


■i     .'..    ■    ,. 


A^:- 


84 


WADING  BIRDS. 


IBIS.      (Ibis,  Lacepede,  Cuv.  Temm.) 

Iff  these  birds  the  bill  is  long,  slender,  arched,  thicker  at  the  base, 
the  point  depressed,  obtuse,  and  rounded;  upper  mandible  deeply 
grooved  its  whole  length ;  the  lower  deeply  channelled  beneath.  Nos- 
trils basal,  oblong,  narrow,  half  closed  by  a  membrane,  situated  in  the 
fiirrow.  face  naked,  and  often  also  a  part  of  the  head  and  neck.  Fbxt 
middling,  or  slender,  naked  above  the  knee ;  anterior  toes  webbed  to 
the  first  joint ;  the  hind  toe  long  and  resting  on  the  ground.  Wings 
moderate,  the  1st  primary  nearly  as  long,  or  much  shorter  than  the  2d 
and  3d,  which  are  longest. 

Species  of  the  Ibis  inhabit  all  quarters  of  the  world.  They  fre- 
quent the  borders  of  rivers  and  lakes,  where  they  are  accustomed  to 
feed  upon  insects,  Crustacea,  worms,  and  shell-fish,  to  which  they 
also,  at  times,  add  vegetables.  But  we  may  place  amongst  popular 
fables;  the  reputation  they  have  so  long  enjoyed  of  being  great  de- 
stroyers of  serpents,  and  venomous  reptiles,  which,  in  fact,  they  nev- 
er touch.  They  migrate  periodically  to  such  distances,  that  Ja.e  boun- 
daries of  the  earth  alone  seem  to  set  limits  to  their  wanderings.  The 
moult  is  simple  and  annual.  The  sexes  scarcely  differ  but  in  their 
relative  dimensions ;  but  the  young  differ  in  several  respects  from  the 
adult,  particularly  in  the  Scarlet,  and  some  other  species. 


SCARLET  IBIS. 

(nis  rubra,  Vieill.  Bonap.  Tantalus  ruler,  Lin.  Wilson,  viii.  p. 
41.  pi.  66.  fig.  2.  [adult.J  Guara,  Marcgrave,  p.  303.  Buffon,  vii. 
p.  35.  PI.  Enlum.  t.  81.  Red  Curlew,  Catesby,  i.  p.  84.  Lath. 
ui.  p.  106.    Phil.  Museum,  No.  3864.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Scarlet ;  outer  quill-feathers  glossy  blue-black  to- 
wards their  extremities ;  face  reddish.  —  Young  cinereous  ;  back 
and  wings  blackish ;  rump  and  be.neath  white. 

This  brilliaht  and  exclusively  American  species,  inhabits 
chiefly  within  the  tropics,  abounding  in  the  West  India  and 
Bahama  Islands,  and  south  of  the  equator,  at  least,  as  far  as 
Brazil.     They  migrate  in  the  course  of  the  summer,  (about 


habits 
a  and  ^ 
far  as 
about 


SCAlilET  IBIS. 


m 


July  and  August,)  into  Florida,  Alabama,  Georgia,  and 
South  Carolina ;  but  retire  into  Mexico,  or  the  Carribbean 
islands,  at  the  approach  of  cool  weather.  They  generally 
associate  in  nmtabers,  frequenting  the  borders  of  the  sea, 
and  the  banks  and  estuaries  of  neighboring  rivers,  feeding 
on  small  fry,  shell-fish,  crustacca,  worms,  and  insects,  which 
they  collect  at  the  ebbing  of  the  tide.  They  are  said  to  be 
in  the  habit  of  perching  on  trees  in  companies ;  but  lay  their 
eggs,  which  are  greenish,  on  the  ground,  amidst  the  tall 
grass  of  the  ina]^shes,  on  a  slight  nest  of  leaves.  When  just 
hatched  the  young  are  black,  soon  changing  to  grey,  but  are 
nearly  white  before  they  are  able  to  fly ;  by  degrees  they  at- 
tain their  red  plumage,  which  is  not  complete  until  the  third 
year.  The  young  and  old  associate  in  distinct  bands.  In 
the  countries  where  they  abound  they  are  sometimes  domes- 
dcated,  and  accompany  the  poultry.  The  Ibis  shows  great 
iCOufage  in  attacking  the  fowls,  and  will  even  defend  itself 
from  the  insidious  attacks  of  the  cat.  It  is  generally  esteem- 
ed as  good  food ;  and  its  rich  and  gaudy  plumage  is  used 
by  the  Brajsilians  for  various  ornaments. 

The  Scarlet  Ibis  measures  23  inches  in  length ;  and  37  in  alar  extent. 
The  bill  is  5  inches  long,  thick,  and  of  a  somewhat  square  form  at 
the  base,  gradually  ben*:  downwards,  and  sharply  ridged ;  black,  ex- 
cept near  the  base,  where  it  inclines  16  red.  Iris  dark  hazel.  The 
face  naked,  slenderly  wrinkled,  and  of  a  pale  red.  Chin  bare,  and 
also  wrinkled.  Whole  plumage  of  a  rich  and  glowing  sea/let,  except 
about  3  inches  of  the  extremities  of  the  4  outer  quill  feathers,  which 
are  of  a  deep  steel  blue-.  Legs  pale  red ;  the  three  anterior  ^oes  united 
by  a  membrane  as  i^  as  the  first  joint. 


86 


W4DINO  BIRDS. 


WHITE  IBIS. 

(Ois  aOa,  Vim.!..  Tantalus  attus,  WiLioir,  viii.  p.  43.  pi.  66.  fig. 
3.  Catxbbt,  i.  t.  82.  Arot.  ZoqI.  No.  363.  Bvrros,  Fl.  £nluff). 
915.    Phil.  Museum,  No.         .) 

Sf.  Charact.  —  White,  the  old  bird  tinged  with  rose  color;  outer 
quill-feathers,  blue-black  at  tip ;  face  reddish. 

This  species,  so  extremely  like  the  preceding,  except  in 
its  permanent  white  color,  is  likewise  common  in  the  tropical 
parts  of  the  American  continent,  particularly  the  Caribbee 
Islands,  and  extends  its  residence,  at  least  as  far  south  beyond 
the  equator,  as  the  coast  of  Brazil.  Wilson  observes,  that 
the  species  appeared  to  be  pretty  numerous  on  the  borders 
of  Lake  Pontchartrain,  near  New  Orleans,  in  the  month  of 
June ;  he  also  saw  them  on  the  low  keys  or  islands  off  the 
coast  of  Florida.  They  rarely  proceed  to  the  north  of 
Carolina,  which  they  visit  only  for  a  few  weeks  towards  the 
close  of  summer;  collected  probably  from  their  dispersed 
breeding  places,  a  little  previous  to  the  period  of  their  mi- 
gration back  again  to  the  south,  which  takes  place  on  the 
return  of  cool  weather.  Their  food  and  haunts  are  alto- 
gether similar  with  those  of  the  preceding  species,  and  like 
diem,  they  seldom  remove  to  any  great  distance  from  the 
sea.  Mr.  Bartram  remarks,  that  "  they  fly  in  large  flocks 
or  squadrons,  evening  and  morning,  to  and  from  their  feed- 
ing places  or  roosts,  and  are  usually  called  Spanish  Curlews. 
They  subsist  principally  on  cray-fish,  whose  cells  they  probe, 
and,  with  their  strong  pinching  bills  drag  them  out."  They 
also  feed  on  fry,  and  aquatic  insect*^  "^nd  their  flesh  is  some- 
times eaten,  but  not  much  esteemet 

Birds  of  this  species  may  frequenuy  be  seen  standing  on 
the  dead  branches  of  trees,  and  on  the  shore  resting  on  one 
leg,  with  the  body  in  an  almost  perpendicular  position,  and 


WBITE   IBIS. 


87 


outer 


the  head  and  bill  resting  on  the  breast ;  which  indeed  appears 
to  be  their  common  mode  of  reposing,  in  consequence  of 
which,  and  as  a  proof  of  the  habitual  indolence  of  the 
species,  the  plumage,  as  in  the  Wood  Ibis,  on  the  ridge  of 
the  neck,  and  upper  part  of  the  back,  is  evidently  worn  by 
the  constancy  of  this  habit. 

Somcitimes,  according  to  Bartram,  during  the  prevalence 
of  high  winds,  and  in  thunder  storms,  they  may  be  seen, 
collected  into  numerous  flocks,  driving  to  and  fro,  or  turn- 
ing and  tacking  tibout  high  in  the  air,  during  which  evolu- 
tions with  the  contending  currents  of  the  wind,  their  silvery 
plulnage  gleams  and  sparkles  with  unusual  brilliance,  as  it 
reflects  the  flashing  light  fVom  amidst  the  dark  and  hovering 
clouds. 

The  White  Ibb  i«  abotit  23  hichei  long ;  and  37  in  alar  extent. 
Bill  as  in  the  preceding  species,  of  a  pale  red,  and  blackish  towards 
the  point.  The  f&ce,  of  a  reddish  fleah  color,  finely  wrinkled.  Irids 
whitish.  Whol»  plumage  white,  except  towards  the  tips  of  the  4 
outer  primaries,  which  are  of  a  deep  and  glossy  steel  blue.  Legs  and 
feet  pale  red,  webbed  to  the  first  joint. 


.i-jgr^ 


^i. 


..,>•; 


EcABLST  Ibis,  in  the  back  ground. 

BAY,  OR  GLOSSY  IBIS. 

(IbisfalcinelluSf  Vieill.  Tehm.  Bonaf.  Am.  Orn.  iv.  p.  33.  pi.  23. 
fig.  1.  [adult.]  Tantaltts  falcinellus,  Gmel.  T.  igneus.  Idem. 
Latham.  Le  Courtis  vert.  Buffon,  and  Courtis  d'ltalie.  Id.  PI. 
Enlum.  819.  [the  old  male.]  L'Ibis  noir,  Saviony,  Hist,  natur.  et 
Mytholog.  de  I'lbis,  p.  36.  pi.  4.  Le  Courtis  brillant,  Sonnini,  edit 
de  Buff.  Ois.  xzii.  p.  238.  [an  old  female.]  The  young,  TanUAua 
wridis,  Gmel.    Lath.  lud.  ii.  p.  707.    Phil.  Museum,  No.         .) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Purplisb-chestnut ;  crown,  middle  of  the  back, 
wings  and  tail,  metallic  green;  face  blackish —  Young,  head  and 
neck,  striped  with  blackish,  and  margined  with  whitish ;  back  and 
icapulars  brownish  ash:  beneath  blackish-cinereous:  the  wings 
and  tail  duller. 

The   Glossy   Ibis,  or  Liver,  appears  to  be,  within  the 
temperate  and  warmer  regions,  almost  a  general  inhabitant 


V, 


.l.^„_- 


BAT,  OR  OL088T  IBIB. 


89 


«.» 


of  the  world.  On  the  borders  of  rivers  and  lakes  it  is  seen, 
for  example,  abundant  as  a  bird  of  passage  in  Poland,  Hun- 
gary, Turkey,  and  the  Archipelago ;  it  visits  the  borders  of 
the  Danube,  is  seen  sometimes  in  Switzerland  and  Italy, 
rarely  in  England  and  Holland ;  is  for  seven  months  a  peri- 
odical visiter  in  Egypt ;  where,  in  common  with  the  Sacred 
Ibis,  it  was  revered  and  embalmed  in  the  vast  catacombs 
of  Saccara  and  Memphis.  It  arrives  in  that  country  in  Oc- 
tober, and  leaves  it  in  the  month  of  March.  They  are 
known  to  breed  up  the  rivers  of  the  Caspian  and  Black 
Seas,  and  to  spread  themselves  into  Russia,  Siberia,  Tartary, 
Denmark,  occasionally  into  Sweden,  and  perhaps  Lapland, 
for  the  same  purpose  ;  remaining  in  those  countries  till  driven 
to  migrate  by  the  inclemency  of  approaching  winter,  at 
which  period  they  appear  to  arrive  in  Africa  and  Asia.  It  is 
a  still  more  rare  and  accidental  visiter  in  the  United  States, 
than  in  England.  A  specimen  has  occasionally  been  exposed 
for  sale  in  the  market  of  Boston,  and  individuals  are,  at  dis- 
tant intervals,  shot  off  Long  Island,  and  on  the  shores  of 
New  Jersey.  At  very  irregular  periods,  in  the  spring  season, 
small  flocks  are  thus  seen  on  the  coasts  of  the  Middle  States, 
and  as  far  south  as  Maryland  and  Virginia.  Vieillot  also 
asserts  their  occasional  appearance  even  in  Cayenne,  Ice- 
land, and  Greenland ;  and  they  are  found  common  along  the 
rivers,  in  the  island  of  Java,  and  the  Celebes.. 

The  Ibises  ordinarily  dwell  together  in  flocks,  in  marshy 
and  inundated  grounds,  exploring  for  their  food  with  great 
regularity,  side  by  sidse  advanciag,  like  disciplined  troops  in 
an  extended  line,  perambulating  the  meadows  they  visit  in 
[H^ference  to  nuiking  a  desultory  flight,  and  for  hours  they 
are  observed  boring  the  same  spot  with  their  long  and  sen- 
sitive bills,  when  their  prey  is  abundant.  Sedate  in  their 
movements^  elevating  their  feet  high  in  walking,  and  as  it 
were  measuring  their  steps ;  they  seem  by  the  delicacy  of 
8* 


00 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


their  actions,  as  if  conscious  of  the  veneration  and  high 
regard,  symbolically  bestowed  upon  them,  by  the  nations  of 
antiquity.  When,  however,  alarmed,  they  rise  high  in  the 
air,  in  a  wide  spiral  range,  uttering  loud  cries,  like  geese, 
and  having  attained  a  safe  elevation,  they  file  off  in  an  hori- 
zontal direction,  uttering  at  intervals,  a  low  and  hoarse 
sound,  and  their  flight  being  vigorous,  they  soon  disappear 
from  sight.  They  are  said  to  nest  in  trees,  but  of  their 
manners,  during  the  period  of  reproduction,  we  arc  still 
wholly  ignorant,  and  Temminck  believes  that  they  retire  to 
breed  in  the  wilds  of  Asia.  Though  Montague  thinks  their 
vernal  migrations  are  directed  to  the  less  inhabited  parts  of 
the  north,  where  they  find  security  about  the  rivers  and  in- 
terior lakes  to  propagate,  and  from  whence  they  retire  as 
the  winter  approaches,  and  as  their  food  begins  to  fail, 
spreading  themselves  at  this  season  over  the  southern  parts 
of  Europe  and  the  adjoining  continents.  According  to 
Oedman,  they  have  been  known  to  breed  for  several  years 
in  succession,  in  the  isle  of  Oland,  in  the  Baltic.  The  food 
of  the  Ibis  is  merely  insects,  worms,  river  shell-fish  and 
vegetables,  which  is  likewise  the  real  fare  of  the  nearly 
allied,  and  also  second  Sacred  Ibis,  of  the  Egyptians,  {Ibis 
religiosa,  Cuvier,)  neither  of  whom  show  any  predilec- 
tion for  devouring  serpents  or  large  reptiles,  for  which,  in 
fact,  the  structure  of  their  long  and  falciform  bills  is  wholly 

unfitted.  ■-      -,r-,:.,:-*^y.^-    M  .j--,.,H"-  .■.,.,-.-i^;,„,r,,r     , 

From  the  supposed  utility  of  the  Ibis  in  destroying  nox- 
ious reptiles,  it  was  held  in  the  greatest  veneration  by  the 
Egyptians :  to  kill  it  was  forbidden  under  pain  of  death ; 
they  were  kept  in  temples,  and  when  they  died,  were  embalm- 

'  ed,  inurned,  and  deposited  with  the  mummies  in  the  sacred  re- ' 
ceptacles  of  the  dead.     These  bird-pits,  as  they  are  still 
called,  are  scattered  over  the  plains  of  Saccara,  and  are  filled 

'  with  the  numerous  remains  of  this  and  the  Egyptian  species. 


■V. 


'.f. 


BAT.  OR  OLOflBT  IBIS. 


V 


So  highly  was  it  honored,  that  the  Ibis  became  the  charac- 
teristic hieroglyphic  of  the  country,  repeated  upon  all  their 
monuments,  obelisks,  and  national  statues.  The  abundance 
of  their  remains  in  the  catacombs,  proves,  indeed,  the  famil- 
iarity which  the  species  had  contracted  with  the  indulgent 
inhabitants  of  its  favorite  country;  and,  like  the  Stork  of 
Europe,  venerated  for  its  supposed  piety,  it  gained  credit,  in 
the  prejudices  of  the  ignorant,  for  benefits  which  it  never 
conferred.  Diodorus  Siculus,  however,  only  adds,  what 
appears  by  no  means  improbable,  that  (impelled  by  hunger 
on  their  first  arrival,)  night  and  day,  the  Ibis,  walking  by 
the  verge  of  the  water,  watches  reptiles,  searching  for  their 
eggs,  and  destroying  all  the  beetles  and  grasshoppers  which 
it  finds.  Thus  accustomed  to  favor  and  immunity,  (like 
our  own  Vulture  scavengers,)  in  Egypt  these  birds  advanc- 
ed without  fear  into  the  midst  of  the  cities.  Strabo  re- 
lates, that  they  filled  the  streets  and  lanes  of  Alexandria, 
to  such  a  degree,  as  to  become  troublesome  and  importunate ; 
and  Hasselquist  remarks,  that  in  Lower  Egypt,  as  soon  as 
the  Nile  becomes  freed  from  its  inundations,  they  arrive  in 
such  numbers,  as  to  be  seen  morning  and  evening,  frequent- 
ing the  gardens,  and  covering  whole  palm  trees  with  their 
flocks.  The  Egyptian  Ibis  is  likewise  said  to  construct  its 
nest  familiarly  in  the  clustering  fronds  of  the  date  palm, 
where  it  lays  4  eggs,  and  sits,  according  to  the  fancifr^i  cal- 
culation of  ^lian,  as  many  days  as  the  star  Isis  ta:a^:j  to 
perform  the  revolution  of  its  phases.  '  '*' 

To  enumerate  the  various  fictions  and  falsehoods  with 
which  the  ancients  have  chosen  to  embellish  the  history  of 
the  Ibis,  would  be  as  vain  and  useless  to  the  naturalist,  as 
to  the  sober  historian.  Even  Josephus  has  the  credulity  to 
relate,  that,  when  Moses  made  war  on  the  Ethiopians,  he 
carried,  in  cages  of  papyrus,  a  great  number  of  the  Ibis,  to 
oppose  them  to  the  serpents !     Fables  of  this  kind  are  now 


\\ 


92 


WADINO   BIRD0. 


no  longer  capable  of  being  substituted  for  facts,  and  the 
naturalist  contents  himself  with  the  humbler,  but  more 
useful  employment,  of  simply  describing  and  delineating 
nature,  as  it  issued  from  the  hands  of  its  omnipotent  Creator. 
This  superstition  has  also  had  its  day^  and  the  Ibis,  no  longer 
venerated,  even  in  Egypt,  is  in  the  autumn,  commonly  shot 
and  ensnared  by  the  Arabs  for  food,  and  the  markets  of  the 
sea  coast,  are  now  abundantly  supplied  with  them  as  game, 
together  with  the  white  species,  both  of  which  are  ignomin- 
iously  exposed  for  sale,  deprived  of  their  heads^  a  spectacle 
from  which  the  ancient  Egyptians  would  have  recoiled  with 
horror.  So  fickle  and  capricious,  because  unreasonable,  is 
the  dominion  of  superstition. 

The  Glossy,  or  Bay  Ibis,  is  about  23  inches  in  length.  The  head 
is  of  a  blackish  chestnut.  Throat,  breast,  upper  part  of  the  back, 
shoulder  of  the  wing,  and  all  the  lower  parts,  of  a  bright  reddish 
chestnut.  Back,  rump,  wing  coverts,  primaries,  and  tail  feathers,  of 
a  blackish  green,  with  bronzy  and  purple  reflections.  Bill  about  5 
inches  long,  greenish  block,  brown  towards  the  point.  Naked  space 
round  the  eye,  green,  surrounded  by  a  greyish  band.  Iris  brown. 
Feet  and  legs  greenish  brown.  —  Adult,  the  female  is  a  little  smaller. 
In  the  young  previous  to  the  third  year,  the  plumage  of  the  head, 
throat,  and  neck,  is  striped  lengthwise  with  blackish  brown,  and 
bordered  with  whitish.  Lower  part  of  the  neck,  breast,  vent  and 
thighs  of  a  greyish  black ;  top  of  the  back  and  scapulars  cinereous 
brown ;  with  the  green  reflections  on  the  wings  and  tail  less  lively. 
in  the  young  of  the  year,  the  plumage  is  still  more  tinged  with  black' 
ish-ash ;  and  the  white  borders  of  the  feathers  of  the  head  and  neck 
are  wider.    It  is  then  the  Tantalus  viridis  of  Gmelin,  &c. 


1 


CURLEWS.     (NuMENius,  Briss.  Temm.) 

In  the  birds  of  this  genus,  the  bill  is  very  long,  slender,  almost 
cylindrical',,  a  little  compressed  and  curved :  the  upper  mandible 
longer,  furrowed  for  three  fourths  of  its  length,  and  rounded  towards 


'I     \ 


BAT,  OR  OLOMY  IBIS. 


the  extremity.  Noitbils  in  the  furrow  of  the  mandible,  basal,  lateral, 
oblong.  Fbkt  rather  long  and  slender,  4  toed  ;  naked  ipace  of  th« 
tibia  moderate  sized ;  the  anterior  toes  short,  stout,  distinctly  bordered, 
somewhat  rough  beneath,  united  by  a  membrane  to  the  first  joint; 
the  hind  one,  bearing  on  the  ground  at  the  tip.  First  primary  longest. 
Tail  somewhat  rounded,  of  12  feathers. 

The  sexes  similar  in  size  and  color.  The  bill  shorter  and  straighter 
in  the  young.  The  moult  tardy,  and  annual.  Plumage  in  all  the 
species  very  similar. 

These  are  extremely  shy  and  wary  birds,  dwelling  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  sea,  and  fVequenting  muddy  marshes  aa  well  as  arid  and 
gravelly  shores,  feeding  principally  on  worms,  ii^sects  of  the  land 
and  water,  small  shell-fish,  fry,  and  moluscous  aniiqals,  in  the  course 
of  the  summer  advancing  inland,  in  quest  of  food.  They  migrate 
in  large  flocks,  marshalled  in  long  lines,  flying  rapidly  at  a  great 
elevation ;  but  being  monogamous,  separate  into  solitary  pairs,  at  the 
breeding  season  ;  making  their  nests  in  marshes,  dunes,  or  herbage, 
near  the  sea,  laying  about  4  eggs,  on  which  both  sexes  sit  in  turn. 
Their  voice  is  loud,  plaintive,  and  whistling.  The  species  are  spread 
over  the  whole  globe :  three  of  these  are  peculiar  to  the  old  contin* 
ent,  and  three  or  four  to  America. 


»    <*i-\  .  •x::a-'     <<  ; 


■  -J,  ,'.-M-« 


ri'    ''a'i^>  .V'-.^. 


M: 


LONG  BILLED  CURLEW. 

(Mimenius  longirostris,  Wilson,  viii.  p.  23.  pi.  64.  fig.  4.  Bonap. 
Synops.  No.  242.    Phil.  Muieum,  No.  3910.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Crown  blackish,  with  whitish  streaks,  no  medial 
line ;  rump  uniform  in  color  with  the  rest  of  the  plumage ;  long 
axillary  feathers  ferruginous,  without  bars;  the  bill  very  long, 
and  much  arched. 

The  Long  Billed  Curlew  is  seen  in  the  marshes  of  New 
Jersey,  about  the  middle  of  May,  on  its  way  further  north : 
and  in  September,  or  the  latter  end  of  August  on  their  return 
from  their  breeding  places.  How  far  south  they  retire  in 
the  course  of  the  winter,  has  not  been  ascertained,  but  a 
few,  no  doubt,  winter  in  the  marshes  of  South  Carolina,  as 
I  have  observed  them  on  the  muddy  shores  of  the  Santee, 


LONO   BILLED   CUKLBW.  ^p 

near  Charleston,  in  the  month  of  January.    Their  southern 
migrations,  in  all  probability,  are  bounded  by  the  shores  of 
the  Mexican  Gulph.     Like  most  species  of  the  genus,  they 
retire  into  the  desolate  regions  of  the  north  to  breed.     Dr. 
Richardson  believes,  that  they  frequent  thu  plains  of  the 
Saskatchewan  and  the  Columbia,  at  this  season ;  and  they 
are  known  to  visit  the  neighborhood  of  Hudson's  Bay.     In 
Major  Long's  Expedition,  it  appears  that  some  of  these 
birds  were  observed  as  far  inland  as  the  Illinois,  latitude 
42°,  on  the  15th  of  June,  which  might  be  supposed,  about 
the  time  of  breeding.     According  to  Wilson,  a  few  instances 
have  been  known,  of  one  or  two  pairs  remaining  in  the  salt 
marshes  of  Cape  May  the  whole  summer ;  and  they  were 
believed  to  nest  there  on  the  ground,  laying  4  eggs  in  'size 
and  color  much  resembling  those  of  the  Clapper  Rail.     In- 
deed, it  will  probably  be  found,  that  many  birds,  now  sup- 
posed to  pass  the  period  of  reproduction,  in  the  remote 
regions  of  the  north,  only  separate  into  solitary  pairs,  and 
disperse  themselves  through  the  vast  wilds  of  the  interior  of 
North  America.  :.:.«,-■   ■.;-i' /;!,.■.:.    :?■'■;,■. ;,t  ■^,^',.  ;-v 

The  Long  Billed  Curlews  fly  high  and  rapid,  generally 
throwing  themselves,  when  in  company,  into  an  angular 
wedge,  after  the  manner  of  wild  geese ;  uttering,  as  they 
fly,  and  when  at  all  alarmed,  a  loud,  short,  whistling,  and 
almost  barking  note,  sometimes,  as  in  other  species  of  the 
family,  strongly  resembling  the  sibilation  of  the  word  kurhw, 
and  from  whence  they  derive  their  characteristic  name, 
adopted  into  so  many  of  the  European  languages.  By  a 
dexterous  imitation  of  this  note,  a  whole  flock  may  some- 
times be  enticed  within  gun  shot ;  while  the  cries  of  the 
wounded  continue  the  sympathetic  enticement,  until  the 
fowler,  repeating  his  shots,  carries  havoc  among  the  quailing 
throng.  Their  food  consists  principally  of  insects,  worms, 
and  small  crabs.     The  young  and  old,  also,  on  their  arrival 


d6 


WADING   BIRDS. 


^rom  the  north,  where  they  feed  on  various  kinds  of  herries, 
Btill  continue  their  fondness  for  this  kind  of  food,  and  now 
frequent  the  uplands  and  pastures  in  quest  of  the  fruit  of 
the  bramble,  particularly  dew-berries,  on  which  they  gel  so 
remarkably  fat,  at  times,  as  to  burst  the  skin  in  falling  to 
the  ground,  and  are  then  superior  in  flav6r  to  almost  any 
other  game  bird  of  the  season.  In  the  market  of  Boston, 
they  are  seen  as  early  as  the  8th  of  August,  having  already 
raised  thieir  brood,  and  proceeded  thus  far  towards  their 
winter  quarters. 

This  species  is  about  25  inches  in  length ;  3  feet  3  inches  in  alar 
extent ;  and  in  good  order,  it  weighs  about  30  ounces.  The  bill 
is  about  7  inches  long,  brownish-black,  purplish  flesh-color,  be- 
low towards  the  bas6.  Tongue  extremely  short.  Eye  dark.  Upper 
plumage  blackish-broVni,  spotted  and  interruptedly  barred  with  dif- 
ferent shades  of  rufous  buff.  Chin,  line  over  the  eye,  and  around 
it,  brownish- white,  in  the  latter  spotted  with  dusky  brown;  neck 
pale  whitish  buff,  streaked  with  black.  Belly,  thighs,  and  vent, 
rufous  white,  without  spots.  Primaries,  brownish-black,  on  the 
outer  ^dges,  pale  rufotis  on  the  inher,  and  bafred  with  black ;  shaft 
of  the  1st  quill  white ;  the  rest  of  the  wing,  pale  reddish  brown, 
barred  with  waving  lines  of  dusky ;  lining  of  the  wing  much  brighter 
than  the  rest  of  the  lower  plumage,  salmon  rufous,  sparingly  spotted 
with  bl8u:kish;  tertiaries  paler,  narrowly  and  faintly  barred  with 
dusky :  long  axiliaries  plain,  or  with  a  few  remote,  dusky  marginal 
specks.  Tail  rounded,  pale  rufous,  with  about  10  dusky  brown  bars. 
Legs  and  naked  thighs,  pale  greyish-blue,  or  lead  coloi'.  The  lighter 
colors  are  much  brighter  and  more  extensive  in  the  young  than  in 
old  birds.  • .  •   „ 


-■4^k  .*«i*  ■"f^v*»•5fe!^■:|'■ 


A 


ESQUIHAUX   OVKLEW. 


97 


ESQUIMAUX  CURLEW. 

(yumeniuihudsoniiua,  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  712.  sp.  7.   Bonap.  Synops. 

No.  243.    Scolopax  borealU,  Wilson,  vii^  p.  22.  pi.  56.  fig.  1.  Phil. 

\  Maseum,  No.  4003.)  M 

Sp.  GharacT'.  —  Crown  dark  brown,  with  a  whitish  medial  line; 

plumage  of  the  rump  uniform  with  the  rest ;  long  axillary  feathers 

banded  with  grey  and  pale  rufous;  bill  much  arched. 

The  Short  Billed  Curlew,  after  passing  the  winter  south 
of  the  United  States,  arrives  in  large  (looks,  on  the  coast 
of  New  Jersey,  early  in  May,  frequenting  the  salt  marshes, 
muddy  ponds,  shoals,  and  inlets;  feeding,  at  this  time, 
on  small  worms,  land  and  marine  insects,  fry,  minute 
shell-fish,  and  sometimes  the  seeds  of  aquatic  vegetables, 
which  they  usually  collect  at  the  recess  of  the  tide,  in  com- 
pany  with  various  other  waders ;  and  at  high  water  retire 
into  the  marshes,  and  sometimes  to  the  dry  ridges,  and  pas- 
tures, particularly  at  a  later  period,  in  June,  where  accom- 
panied by  the  Long  Billed  species,  they  feed  much  on  dew- 
berries, becoming  very  fat  and  well  flavored.  In  the  northern 
regions,  and  the  fur  countries,  to  which  they  retire  to  breed, 
they  also  collect  Crow-berries  (Empetmm  migrum)  for 
foodt  In  June^  they  take  their  departure  to  the  north  ;  col- 
lecting together  from  the  marshes  in  one  general  flock,  they 
rise  to  a  considerable  elevation,  about  an  hour  before  sunset, 
and  forming  a  long  angular  phalanx,  keep  up  a  constant 
whistling  on  their  march,  as  if  conversing  with  each  other, 
in  order  to  forget  or  lessen  the  toil  and  hazard  of  their  ad- 
venturous journey.  Their  flight  is  steady,  like  that  of  the 
Woodcock  ;  and,  in  consequence  of  their  sympathy  for  each 
other,  readily  come  within  gun  shot  of  those  who  can  imitate 
their  call.  While  thus  beating  the  air  in  company,  the 
transient  glittering  of  their  speckled  wings,  as  they  glide 
9 


IW 


WADINQ  BIBDS. 


along  in  ease  and  elegance,  presents  an  interesting  spectacle, 
no  less  beautiful  than  amusing.  Arriving,  at  length,  in  their 
natal  regions  in  the  wilds  of  the  north,  they  soon  obey  the 
instinct  of  their  species,  and  making  probably  a  nest  on 
the  grbund,  lay  about  4  eggs,  which,  according  to  Mr. 
Hutchins,  are  of  a  light  bluish-grey  color,  marked  with 
black  (or  dark  brown)  spots.  From  the  middle  of  August, 
to  the  beginning  of  September,  they  arrive  in  the  vicinity  of 
Massachusetts  Bay,  and  other  parts  of  New  England,  fre- 
quenting the  pastures  as  well  as  marshes,  and  fatten  upon 
grasshoppers  and  berries,  till  the  time  of  their  departure, 
about  the  close  of  September  ,*  and  they  wholly  disappear 
from  New  Jersey,  on  their  way  to  the  south,  early  in  the 
month  of  November.  Previous  to  their  departure,  they 
again  assemble  in  large  flocks,  near  the  sea  beach,  being 
constantly  gregarious  in  all  their  journeys.  In  an  island  of 
the  Piscataquay,  near  Plymouth,  (N.  Hampshire,)  a  friend 
informs  me,  that  they  had,  in  the  autumn,  been  seen  together 
in  a  dense  flock  of  many  thousands,  thickly  covering  several 
acres  of  ground  with  their  numbers. 

When  much  hunted,  they  become  extremely  shy  and 
difficult  to  approach ;  yet  the  same  bird,  shot  at,  three 
or  four  different  times,  and  recovering  when  about  to  be 
picked  up,  still,  notwithstanding  this  persecution,  con- 
tinued to  feed  again  in  the  same  spot.  These  birds, 
though  so  exquisite  in  flavor,  in  the  autumn,  when  as  abund- 
ant as  usual,  are  sold  in  Boston  market  for  about  twenty  to 
twenty-five  cents  each.  As  early  as  the  18th  of  July,  I 
have  met  with  individuals  of  this  species,  one  of  which, 
on  dissection,  proved  to  be  an  old  and  barren  male,  who 
in  all  probability,  had  remained  behind  the  flock  in  the 
same  vicinity  where  he  had  arrived  in  the  spring,  having  no 
incentive  to  migration.  Whether  other  specimens,  killed  at 
this  season,  before  the  return  of  the  general  flock,  are  in- 


r, 


ESQUIMAUX   OURLSW. 


99 


tngno 
lied  at 


fltteneed  by  t  same  cause  to  linger  behind,  or  wander 
jEirom  the  rest,  1  am  unable  to  say. 

The  young  of  the  common  Curlew  of  Europe  {N.  ar- 
quaia,)  run  as  soon  as  they  are  hatched,  but  cannot  fly 
for  a  considerable  time.  Mr.  Rennie  succeeded  in  taming 
one  which  had  been  shot  in  the  wing.  At  first  it  was  ex- 
tremely  shy,  but,  at  length,  fed  with  some  domestic  Ruffs, 
on  bread  and  milk,  with  which  it  soon  became  fat.  In  a 
month  or  six  weeks,  it  was  tame  enough  to  follow  a  person 
across  the  menagerie  for  a  bit  of  bread,  or  a  small  fish,  of 
which  it  was  remarkably  fond ;  besides  this  diet,  he  fed  on 
water  lizards,  small  frogs,  and  every  kind  of  insect  not  too 
large  to  swallow ;  and,  in  defect  of  other  food,  he  contented 
himself  to  eat  barley  with  the  ducks.  This  bird  survived 
with  this  treatment  for  two  years^  when  he  was  at  last  killed, 
as  was  supposed,  by  a  rat. 

The  note  of  the  Whimbrel,  so  nearly  allied  to  the  present 
species,  is  said  to  sound  like  the  words  'weddy  tetty  tetty 
tetty  tet,  quickly  repeated. 

The  Esquimaux  Curlew  is  about  18  inches  long ;  and  32  inches  in 
alar  extent.  The  bill  to  the  rictus  (in  Richardson's  specimen)  is  3 
inches  6  lines ;  in  Wilson's  4^  inches !  in  a  specimen  now  before 
me  3  inches  8  lines.  In  a  young,  but  very  full  grown  bird  of  Sep- 
tnnber,  the  bill,  remarkably  slender,  scarcely  exceeds  S  inches !  (In 
Wilson's  bird  the  extraordinary  curvature  of  the  bill  is  no  less  re- 
VMurkable  than  its  unusual  length,)  its  color  in  our  specimens,  brown- 
iah  Uack,  towards  the  base  of  the  under  mandible  purplish  Aesh- 
eolor,  straight  almost  for  two  thirds  of  its  length,  and  then  rather 
suddenly  carving.  Upper  part  of  the  head  dusky  brown,  divided 
by  an  obscure  stripe  of  whitish ;  over  each  eye  extends  a  broad 
paler  line.  Iris  dark  hazel.  Sides  of  the  head,  neck,  and  breast,  dull 
yellowish  white,  with  narrow  stripes  (passing  into  bars  on  the  breast) 
of  pale  dusky  brown.  Chin,  belly,  and  under  tiul  coverts  white, 
the  latter  more  or  less  tinged  with  buff.  Upper  plumage,  as  well  as 
the  rump  and  lores,  dusky  brown,  with  brownish-white  marginal 
spots,  which  become  bars  on  the  lesser  quills  and  tail  coverts.    Fri- 


100 


WADING   BIRDI. 


maries  dusky  brown,  aU  disfincUy  barred  on  their  inner  tbtht  ^ith 
pale  reddish  buff,  the  shafts  of  the  two  first  white,  less  pure  on  the 
second.  Tail  dark  brownish-grey,  with  9  dusky  bars,  one  of  these 
terminal,  but  edged  with  brownish- white.  —  Flanks,  long  azillaries, 
and  under  wing-coverts  bright  reddish-buff,  (almost  salmon  color,) 
barred  with  clore-brown.  A  few  of  the  larger  primary  wing-coverts 
wholly  dusky,  tipped  with  whitish,  more  particularly  in  the  young 
birds.  Legs  and  feet  dark  l.ead  color.  In  young  birds  the  pale  spots, 
bands,  and  bars,  are  much  larger,  fainter,  and  more  mclining  to  flesh- 
color,  and  the  lower  half  of  the  under  mandible  is  almost  yellowish- 
white.  The  tinge  of  buff  on  the  belly  and  vent,  is  also  deeper.  In 
Wilson's  specimen,  the  whole  bill  is  dull  flesh-color,  except  towards 
the  point,  where  it  is  dusky. 

Obs.  Our  bird  appears  to  differ  from  that  of  Richardson  and 
Wilson,  in  the  situation  and  extent  of  the  curvature  of  the  bill,  and 
in  the  conspicuous  bars  on  the  inner  vanes  of  the  primaries ;  ours, 
therefore,  makes  a  much  nearer  approach  to  the  Whimbrel,  (Jf.pha- 
opus,)  than  any  other  American  species,  if  such  it  may  be  considered ; 
indeed,  the  European  bird,  only  differs  in  the  paler  shade  of  its 
colors,  the  white  rump,  and  absence  of  buff  in  the  long  azillaries. 
Should  our  bird  prove  a  distinct  species,  which  seems  very  probable, 
we  may  perhaps  distinguish  it  as  follows : 


AMERICAN  WHIMBREL. 


(JVumenitig  Hntermedius.  JV.  phoeopus,  Temm.  excluding  the  other 
synonymy  of  that  species.) 

Sp.  Gharact.  —  A  whitish  medial  line  in  the  dark  crown;  nunp 
■  and  back  dusky  and  spotted ;  primaries  barred  on  their  inner  webs; 
'  long  axillaries  banded  with  grey  and  reddish  buff;  bill  black,  curv- 
ing towards  the  extremity,  a  great  portion  of  the  under  mandible 
flesh-color. 

My  friend  Mr.  Audubon  has  also  observed  this  species,  and  be- 
lieves it  to  be  sufficiently  distinct  from  the  bird  figured  by  Wilson. 


SMALL  ESQUIMAUX  CURLEW. 


m 


.;-,v;« 


SMALL  ESQUIMAUX  CURLEW. 

(Jfumeimu8  borealis,  Latham.  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  244.  Am.  Cm.  iy. 
p.  118.  pi.  86.  fig.  3.  Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  378.  t.  65.  Seolopax 
torealiSf  Forster.  Fhil,  Trans.  62,  pp.  411, — 431.  JV.  brtmroM- 
triSf  Temm.  pi.  color.  381.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Crown  dusky,  with  an  o>«:cure  medial  line  towards 
the  hind  head ;  rump  dusky  and  spotted ;  azillaries  banded  with 
dusky  and  rufous ;  bill  short  and  slender,  but  little  arched. 

The  Small  Curlew,  in  the  course  of  its  vast  migrations, 
occasionally  visits  almost  every  part  of  the  American  con- 
tinent ;  penetrating  even  into  the  remote  territories  of  the 
west,  coursing  along  the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and 
extending  its  wanderings  into  the  southern  hemisphere  as 
far  as  Brazil  and  Paraguay.  They  arrive  at  Hudson's  Bay 
in  April,  or  early  in  May,  but  breed  to  the  north  of  Albany 
Fort,  returning  to  the  marshes  with  their  young  in  August, 
and  retire  from  that  country  early  in  September.  Indeed 
the  species,  accompanied  probably  by  the  preceding,  fre 
quents  in  summer,  the  wide  extent  of  barren  lands  within 
the  Arctic  circle,  feeding  usually  on  aquatic  insects,  their 
larysB,  and  when  ripe,  the  fruit  of  the  crow-berry,  (Empe- 
trum  nigrum.)  On  the  13th  of  June,  (1822)  Dr.  Richardson 
discovered  one  of  these  Curlews,  sitting  on  three  eggs,  on 
the  shore  of  PoinI  Lake.  When  approached,  she  ran  a  short 
distance  from  the  nest,  crouching  near  to  the  ground,  and 
then  stopped  to  watch  the  motions  of  her  encroaching 
visitor.  The  eggs,  sometimes  as  many  as  4,  have  a  pyri- 
form  shape,  and  a  siskin-green  color,  clouded  with  a  few 
large  irregular  spots  of  bright  umber  brown.  -  s;4^ 

About  the  close  of  August  or  beginning  of  September, 

these  birds,  accompanied  by  the  preceding,  arrive  on  the 

shores  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  frequenting  the  marshes 

and  adjoining  pastures,  feed  at  this  time  much  upon  gcass* 

9* 


\\ 


102 


WADINO  BIRDS. 


hoppers,  coleoptera,  and  earth  worms,  which  they  collect 
principally  towards  evening,  or  early  in  the  morning.  In 
their  way  to  the  south  they  also  visit  Nova  Scotia  and  New- 
foundland, where  they  remain  till  the  approach  of  winter ;  and 
in  New  Jersey,  these  birds  linger  on  till  the  month  of  No- 
vember, when  they  apparently,  without  further  delay,  pass 
on  to  the  south  of  the  United  States,  for  in  other  parts  of  the 
Union  they  appear  to  be  wholly  unknown.  Like  the  other 
species,  they  are  remarkably  gregarious,  each  company 
seeming  to  follow  some  temporary  leader,  and  on  starting  to 
wing,  a  sort  of  watch  cry  is  heard,  resembling  the  whistling 
pronunciation  of  the  word  hee^bee.  On  their  arrival  fh>m 
the  north,  they  are  very  fat,  plump,  and  well  flavored,  and 
included  like  both  the  preceding,  and  the  Marbled  Godwit, 
under  the  general  name  of  Doebirdsy  they  are  sought  out 
by  epicures,  and  enuonce  the  value  of  a  table  entertainment. 
Pennant  remarks,  on  the  authority  of  Hutchins,  that  from 
the  9th  of  August,  to  the  6th  of  September,  they  were  seen 
in  flocks  innumerable  on  the  hills  about  Chatteux  Bay,  on 
the  coast  of  Labrador,  soon  after  which  they  all  departed 
for  the  south :  at  this  time,  they  kept  chiefly  on  the  open 
grounds,  and  feeding  on  Crow-berries,  were  very  fat  and  well 
flavored. 


Length  of  the  Small  Curlew,  from  14  to  15  inches ;  the  female 
more  than  an  inch  longer.  Bill  slender,  brownish-black ;  slightly 
flesh-red  at  the  base,  its  length  from  above  about  2|  inches.  The 
vpper  plumage  blackish-brown,  with  many  pale  yellowish-brown 
marginal  spots,  these  colors  forming  handsome  bars  on  the  lesser, 
quills  and  tail  coverts.  The  whole  of  the  primaries  and  their  coverts 
are  imspotted,  only  the  posterior  ones  are  edged  at  the  tip  with 
white ;  the  shaft  of  the  first  quill  very  broad  and  white.  An  imper- 
fect medial  line  is  visible  on  the  nape.  Tail  dusky  brown,  with  9 
blackish  bars,  the  exterior  web  of  the  outermost  feather  elegantly 
barred  with  light  buff  and  black.  Chin,  and  band  over  the  eye 
brownish- white,  the  latter  faintly  streaked  with  dusky.    Under  plu- 


■ANDPIPKBt. 


103 


WMge  nankeen-brown ;  the  neek  and  lidet  of  the  head  thickly  atriped 
with  duaky  •brown;  the  breaat  and  flanks  marked  with  arrow  beaded 
■potiof  the  same,  which  exist  on  the  belly  also,  though  smaller  and 
more  scattered.  Inner  wing  coverts  and  long  azillaries,  bright  red> 
dish-brown,  barred  with  dark  cinereous.  Legs  blackish-grey ,  tinged 
with  olive ;  soles  of  the  feet  and  margins  of  the  toes  olive. — FemdU^ 
with  the  color  of  the  plumage  paler,  the  spots  and  bars  below,  fainter, 
and  the  general  color  below  nearly  rufous-white.  Medial  line  on 
the  head  obsolete. 


SANDPIPERS.    (Tringa.  Briss.) 

In  this  tribe  of  birds  the  bill  is  of  moderate  dimensions,  or  rather 
long,  slender,  nearly  cylindric,  straight,  or  fkintly  curved,  soft  and 
flexible  its  whole  lengtii,  compressed  at  base,  the  point  smooth,  de- 
pressed, somewhat  dilated  and  obtuse ;  both  mandibles  furrowed 
each  side,  to  their  tips.  Nostrils  situated  in  the  furrows,  basal, 
linear,  pervious,  ard  covered  by  a  membrane.  Fkit  4  toed ;  tarsus 
•lender ;  fore  toes  rather  long  and  slender,  generally  divided ;  hind 
toe  very  short,  scarcely  touching  the  ground.  Wings  moderate,  1st 
primary  longest.     TaU  rather  short,  of  12  feathers. 

The  sexes  similar  in  color,  but  the  female  somewhat  larger.  The 
young  differ  from  the  adults.  They  moult  twice  in  the  year,  greatly 
changing  the  color  of  their  plumage ;  the  autumnal  dress  is  com- 
monly a  mixture  of  white  and  cinereous ;  the  dress  of  summer  and 
of  the  period  of  reproduction,  being  a  mixture  of  the  more  decided 
colors  of  black  and  rufous. 

These  gregarious  birds  migrate  and  breed  in  flocks,  often  compos- 
ed of  different  species,  and  dwell  in  marshes  near  rivers,  lakes,  and 
particularly  the  vicinity  of  the  ocean ;  they  frequent  sandy  coasts, 
muddy  shores,  or  the  rocks  covered  with  sea  weeds,  where  they  collect 
their  subsistence,  consisting  principally  of  coleoptera,  larvae,  wormsi 
small  Crustacea,  molluscous  animals,  and  minute  bivalve  shell  fish, 
which  they  oflen  probe  out  of  their  retreats,  by  inserting  the  point 
of  their  flexible  and  somewhat  sensitive  bills ;  accommodating  them* 
selves  also  to  circumstances,  they  drink,  and  quench  their  thirst,  in- 
differently with  either  salt  or  fresh  water.  They  generally  migrate 
along  the  borders  of  the  sea,  but  sometimes  also  follow  the  meanders  of 


104 


WADING   BIRDS. 


riven.  Vagabond  and  wild  in  their  habiti,  lome  of  the  species  have 
spread  themselves  over  the  whole  world ;  but  in  general,  they  seek 
out  the  remotest  wilds  of  the  north  in  which  to  pass,  without 
molestation,  the  period  of  reproduction, 


Subgenus. — Trinoa.     (True  Sandpipers.) 
With  the  anterior  toes  all  cleft  to  the  base. 


CAPE  CURLEW,  or  SANDPIPER. 

(Tringa  subarquata,  Tehh.  Scolopax  itfricana,  Ghel.  i.  p.  655.  sp. 
19.  Jfumeniua  africanus,  Lath.  UMouctte  de  mer,  Buffon,  F1. 
Enlum,  851.  a  good  figure  in  the  commencing  moult  of  winter.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  much  longer  than  the  head,  somewhat  arched ; 
rump  white ;  middle  tail  feathers  longest,  the  lateral  ones  white 
internally;  tarsus  shorter  than  the  bill,  I4  inches  long.  —  Summtr 
plumage  varied  with  black  and  rufous,  beneath  reddish  brown. 
Winter  plumage,  cinereous,  beneath  white. 

Of  this  species  very  little  is  known.  It  frequents  the 
sea  coast  and  the  borders  of  lakes,  and  is  sometimes  seen 
in  the  interior  of  the  countries  it  frequents.  Like  most 
secies  of  the  genus,  it  is  migratory  in  the  spring  and  autumn, 
and  at  such  times  proceeds  in  flocks  along  the  coast,  or  on 
the  borders  of  large  rivers.  They  are  seen  in  Switzerland 
and  France ;  nesting  sometimes  in  Holland  upon  the  margins 
of  water  courses,  laying  4  or  5  eggs,  which  are  yellowish, 
with  brown  spots.  The  food  of  this  bird  is  usually  small 
insects,  and  worms,  as  well  as  the  herbage  of  some  of  the 
sea  weeds,  (Fuci.)  So  wide  are  the  devious  wanderings 
of  this  cosmopolite  pigmy,  that  Temminck  obtained  a  spe- 
cimen from  Senegal,  another  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
(as  is  also  indicated  by  Latham's  name  of  the  Cape  Cur- 
lew,) and  a  third  from  North  America.  ^  .  .4;..,.  .r 


CAPE  CURLEW,  OR  SANDPIPER. 


106 


\ 


The  Long  Billed  Sandpiper  i«  about  8j|  inchei  long ;  by  about  15^ 
inches  in  alar  stretch.  Bill  black,  an  inch  and  a  half  long,  and 
bent.  Winter  plumage  of  the  adults.  —  The  face,  line  over  the  eyes, 
throat,  upper  tail  coverts,  vent,  and  all  the  lower  parts  pure  white. 
A  brown  line  between  the  bill  and  eye.  Top  of  the  head,  back, 
scapulars,  and  wing  coverts,  of  a  cinereous  brown,  with  small  touches 
of  a  deeper  color  along  the  shafts.  Nape  striped  longitudinally  with 
brown,  and  bordered  with  whitish ;  the  fore  part  of  the  neck  and 
breast  the  same,  but  paler.  Tail  grey,  edged  with  white,  the  outer 
feathers  white  within.  Iris  brown.  Feet  and  legs  pale  green,  brown 
or  blackish-grey  when  dry. 

In  the  young,  before  the  first  moult,  the  colors  are  nearly  as  in  the 
winter  plumage  of  the  adults,  but  the  feathers,  of  the  middle  of  the 
back,  the  scapulars,  and  wing  coverts,  are  of  a  blackish  ash  color,  all 
fringed  and  terminated  by  a  large  band  of  yellowish-white.  No 
distinct  spots  on  the  breast,  which  is  faintly  clouded  with  yellowish, 
white,  and  pale  brown.  The  bill  is  sdready  long  and  feebly  arched  ; 
and  the  feet  brown.  —  Kumenius pygmcEus,  ^EoaiTTEiv. 

Plumage  of  summer  and  the  nuptial  season.  The  face,  line  over 
the  eye,  and  throat  white,  dotted  with  brown.  Summit  of  the  head 
black,  the  feathers  with  rufous  borders.  Nape  rufous,  with  small 
longitudinal  touches  of  black.  Throat,  breast,  vent  and  abdomen, 
of  a  reddish-brown,  often  sprinkled  with  small  spots  of  brown,  or 
at  times  varied  with  some  white  feathers.  Upper  and  lower  tail 
coverts  white,  transversely  lined  with  blaek  and  rufous.  Back, 
scapulars,  and  large  wing  coverts,  deep  black,  upon  the  borders  of 
these  feathers  are  a  row  of  angular  bright  rufous  spots,  most  of  them 
tipt  with  pale  ash  color.    Tail  of  a  blackish  ash,  edged  with  white. 

;  Obs.  —  Individuals  differ  in  size  according  to  local  circumstances; 
and  in  the  female  the  bill  is  always  longer  than  in  the  male. 


■■VJ.:.^^   :?*^i  •':M 


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v:  <...,;..«;.;. ;5^;. 


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■  ih 


DUNLIN,  OR  OX-BIRD. 

(Tringa  alpina,  Lin.  Wilson,  vii.  p.  25.  pi.  56.  fig.  2.  Red-backed 
Sandpiper,  [Bununer  dress.]  T.  variabilis,  Tehm.  also  T.  cijtduSf 
Lin.  (The  Purre.)  Wilson,  vii.  p.  39.  pi.  57.  fig.  3.  [winter  dreM.] 
Phil.  Museum,  No.  4094,  and  4126.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  black,  longer  than  the  head,  slightly  curved  at 
the  point;  rump  blackish;  middle  tail  feathers  longest;  tarsus 
little  more  than  an  inch  long.  —  Summer  plumage  varied  with  black 
.tod  rufous,  beneath  black  and  white.  WirUer  dress  ashy-brown, 
lieneath  white. 

The  Dunlin,  or  Red-backed  Sandpiper  of  the  United 
States,  according  to  the  season  of  the  year,  is  met  with 
throughout  the  northern  hemisphere ;  penetrating,  in  Ameri- 
ca, during  the  summer  season,  to  the  utmost  habitable  verge 
of  the  Arctic  circle,  and  even  breed  in  that  remotest  of  lands, 
the  ever  wintry  shores  of  Melville  Peninsula.  They  like- 
wise inhabit  Greenland,  Iceland,  Scandinavia,  the  Alps  of 
Siberia,  and  the  coasts  of  the  Caspian.  In  the  southern 
hemisphere,  they  sometimes  even  wander  as  far  as  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope ;  and  are  found  in  Jamaica,  other  of  the  West 
India  Islands,  and  Cayenne.  In  the  autumn  they  are  seen 
around  Vera  Cruz,  and  with  other  Sandpipers,  probably,  ex- 


DUNLIN,    OR  OX-BIRD. 


107 


posed  for  sale  in  th«  market  of  Mexico.  At  the  same  time, 
many,  as  the  Purres  in  their  winter  dress,  remain  through 
the  greatest  part  of  the  winter  within  the  milder  limits  of 
the  Union;  frequenting,  at  times,  in  great  numbers,  the 
coasts  of  both  Carolinas  during  the  month  of  February; 
flitting,  probably,  to  and  fro  with  every  vaccillating  change 
of  temperature,  being  naturally  vagabond,  and  no  where  fix- 
ed for  any  considerable  time,  until  their  arrival  at  the  ultimate 
Thule  of  the  continent,  where  they  barely  stay  long  enough 
to  rear  a  single  brood,  destined,  as  soon  as  they  are  able, 
to  wander  with  the  rest,  and  swell  the  aerial  host,  whose 
sole  delight,  like  the  untiring  Petrels  of  the  storm,  or  the 
ambitious  Albatross,  is  to  be  in  perpetual  action ;  and  are 
thus,  by  their  associated  numbers,  obliged  perpetually  to  rove 
inquest  of  their  transient,  periodical,  and  varying  prey. 

In  the  middle  states,  the  Dunlins  arrive  on  their  way  to 
the  north,  in  April  and  May ;  and  in  September  and  Oc- 
tober, they  are  again  seen  pursuing  the  route  to  their  hyber- 
nal  retreat  in  the  south.  At  these  times  they  often  mingle 
with  the  flocks  of  other  strand  birds,  from  which  they  are 
distinguishable  by  the  rufous  color  of  their  upper  plu- 
mage. They  frequent  the  muddy  flats  and  shores  of  the  salt 
marshes,  at  the  recess  of  the  tide,  feeding  on  the  worms,  in- 
sects and  minute  shell-fish,  which  such  places  generally  af- 
ford. They  are  also  very  nimble  on  the  strand,  frequenting 
the  sandy  beaches  which  bound  the  ocean,  running  and 
gleaning  up  their  prey  with  great  activity,  on  the  reflux  of 
the  waves. 

These  birds,  when  in  their  hybernal  dress,  are  seen,  in 
conjunction  with  several  species,  sometimes  collecting  to- 
gether in  such  flocks,  as  to  seem  at  a  distance,  like  a  mov- 
ing cloud,  varying  in  form  and  appearance  every  instant, 
while  it  performs  its  circuitous,  waving,  and  whirling  ev(v 
lutions  along   the  shores  with  great  rapidity;   alternately 


108 


WADING   DIIUD8. 


bringing  its  dark  and  white  plumage  into  view,  it  forme  a 
Tery  grand  and  imposing  spectacle  of  the  sublime  instinct 
and  power  of  nature.  At  such  times,  however,  the  keen  gun- 
ner, without  losing  much  time  in  empty  contemplation,  makes 
prodigious  slaughter  in  the  timid  ranks  of  the  Purres ;  while 
as  the  showers  of  their  companions  fall,  tlie  whole  body  of- 
ten alight,  or  descend  to  the  surface  with  them,  until  the 
greedy  sportsman  becomes  satiated  with  destruction. 
,  The  Dunlins  breed  plentifully  on  the  Arctic  coasts  of 
America,  nesting  on  the  ground  in  the  herbage,  laying  3  or 
4  very  large  eggs,  of  an  oil-green,  marked  with  irregular 
spots  of  liver-brown,  of  different  sizes  and  shades,  confluent 
at  the  larger  end.  Mr.  Pennant  also  received  the  eggs  of 
this  kind  from  Denmark,  so  that  the  range  in  which  they 
breed,  no  less  than  that  in  which  they  migrate,  is  very  ex- 


tensive» 


;.,^=l:..«(r 


The  length  of  the  Dunlin  is  from  8,  to  8j^  inchcB.  The  bill  black, 
about  an  inch  long.  In  the  winter  plumage  of  the  adults  of  both  aexesj 
the  throat,  line  from  the  upper  mandible  to  the  eye,  all  the  under 
parts,  (with  the  exception  of  the  3  exterior  feathers  of  the  under  tail 
coverts,)  pure  white.  Breast  whitlHh-ash.  A  line  between  the  bill 
and  eye,  and  all  the  upper  parts  of  a  greyish-brown,  with  deeper  tints 
along  the  shafts  of  the  feathers.  Rump,  intermediate  feathers  of  the 
upper  tail  coverts,  and  the  two  middle  feathers  of  the  tail,  of  a  black- 
ish-bi'oWn;  lateral  tail  feathers  cinereous,  bordered  with  white.  Iris, 
and  feet  of  a  blackish-bro^n.  —  T.  cinclus,  of  authors. 

JVuptial  and  summer  plumage.  The  tliroat  white,  face,  sides  and  fore 
part  of  tlie  neck,  sides  of  the  head  and  breast,  white,  faintly  tinged 
with  rufous,  the  feathers  streaked  lengthwise  with  black.  Vent  and 
abdomen  wholly  black,  often ,  according  to  the  epoch  of  the  year,  varied 
with  some  white  feathers.  Feathers  of  the  head ,  black  in  their  centres, 
bordered  with  rufous  brown.  Back,  scapulars,  and  greater  coverts, 
black,  the  black  widely  bordered  with  Jsright  rufous,  and  tipt  with 
whitish-ash.  The  3  lateral  fbatheirs  of  the  upper  tail  coverts  white 
only  on  their  outer  barbs.  Tail  feathers  blackish-ash,  bordered  with 
white. —  T.  alpina,  of  authors.     T.  variabilis,  Meybr.  Temh. 


V  ' 


SCHINZ'S   lANDPIPBR. 


109 


Uaual  moulting  jrfwmy,  and  that  of  the  ytmng  in  rnnhnnn.  With 
Um  throat,  line  firom  the  upper  mandible  to  the  eye,  abdomen,  and 
lower  tail  ooTerti,  white.  A  brown  line  between  the  eye  and  the  bill. 
Throat  and  breast  of  a  rufoui  yellow,  with  longitudinal  brown  ipota. 
Some  ipota  of  blackiih-brown  upon  the  vent,  niimeroui  or  aoattered. 
Plumei  of  the  back  and  Mapulan  biack,  bordered  with  pale  rufoua 
and  yellowish ;  mingled  with  patohea  of  ash-oolored  featheri,  indi- 
cative of  the  paa«age  into  the  winter  livery.  Wing  covert*  brown, 
bordered  with  yellowiah-rufoui.  —  In  the  young  bird  the  bill  is 
straight ;  and  in  the  old  its  length  often  varies.  —  In  a  young  bird 
(now  before  me,)  with  the  wings,  feet,  and  bill  of  T.  einelut,  the  up- 
per part  of  the  back  and  the  scapulars  are  brownish-ash,  scarcely  edged 
with  whitish.  The  whole  neck,  head,  fkce  and  breast,  brownish- 
ash,  pale  on  the  latter,  with  the  centre  of  the  feathers  darker :  flanks 
also  sparingly  spotted  with  the  same,  the  rest  of  the  under  plumage 
white. 


I  SCHINZ'S  SANDPIPER. 

(Tringa  Schinxii,  Brehm.  Bonap.  Synops.  et  Am.  Orn.  iv.  p.  C9.  pi. 
34.  fig.  2.  [winter  dress].) 

Sp.  Charact. — As  in  the  preceding  *,  but  the  species  smaller,  with 
the  bill  proportionably  smaller ;  the  white,  upper  tail  coverts  more 
extensive. 

This  species,  so  nearly  related  to  the  preceding,  is  also  com- 
mon to  both  continents ;  penetrating  inland  in  America,  to  the 
western  plains  of  the  Mississippi,  and  inhabiting  the  shores 
of  the  small  lakes,  which  skirt  the  plains  of  the  Saskat- 
chewan, and  probably  the  remoter  wilds  of  the  Arctic 
circle.  According  to  Bonaparte,  they  are  rather  commdn  on 
the  coast  of  New  Jersey  in  autumn,  and  Mr.  Oakes  met  with 
this  species  in  the  vicinity  of  Ipswich,  in  Massachusetts. 
They  are  either  seen  in  flocks  by  themselves,  or  accompany- 
ing other  Sandpipers,  which  they  entirely  resemble  in  their 
habits  and  food ;  frequenting  marshy  shores,  and  the  borders 
of  lakes  and  brackish  waters.  They  associate  in  the  breed- 
10 


«-r*p» 


no 


WADING  BIRDS.  ^'H 


ing  season,  and  are  then  by  no  means  shy ;  but  during  au- 
tumn, accompanying  different  birds,  they  become  wild  and 
restless.  'Their  voice  resembles  that  of  the  Dunlin,  but 
is  more  feeble ;  and  they  nest  near  their  usual  haunts,  by 
lakes  and  marshes,  laying  4  eggs,  smaller  than  those  of  T. 
alpina,  of  a  yellowish-grey,  spotted  with  olive  or  chestnut- 
brown. 

The  length  of  this  species  is  7,  to  7^  inches ;  alar  extent  14.  Bill 
nearly  an  inch  long,  compressed  and  black  from  the  base,  (brown, 
Richardson.)  —  Winter  dress,  The  crown,  neck  above,  and  interscapn- 
lary  region,  of  an  aahy-brown,  darker  in  the  centre  of  each  feather. 
Upper  tail  coverts  white,  blackish  along  the  shafls,  and  towards  tho 
margin  of  the  outer  vanes.  A  whitish  stripe  from  the  bill  over  each 
eye.  Cheeks,  sides  of  the  neck,  and  breast,  whitish,  streaked  with 
pale  dusky,  along  the  shafls  of  the  feathers.  Throat,  and  all  the  rest 
of  the  parts  beneath,  white.  Wing  coverts  darker  than  the  body, 
with  pale  margins,  inner  great  coverts  with  white  tips.  Primaries 
blackish-ash,  secondaries  paler,  margined  with  whitish.  Tail  2|  inch- 
68  long,  the  4  lateral  feathers  each  side,  nearly  equal  in  length,  pale 
ash,  margined  and  shafted  With  whit6,  the  5th  each  side  blackish- 
ash,  a  little  longer  than  the  preceding,  with  a  pure  t^hite  marginal  tip 
on  the  inner  web;  the  2  middle  feathers  longest,  and  blackish.  Feet 
blackish  :  tarsus  7  eights  of  an  inch  loftg.  —  The  Summer  dresis  luaa- 
logous  to  that  of  T.  alpina,  but  the  colors  less  bright ;  the  breast  nev- 
er so  broadly  black.  Summer  dress.  —  Centres  of  the  upper  plumag« 
blackish-brown,  the  edges  feri^ugihous  oil  the  shoulders  and  scap- 
ulars; but  grey  on  the  neck,  posterior  '^art  of  the  back,  and  rumpi 
Lateral  tail  coverts  white,  marked  near  the  tips  with  clove-brown ; 
the  central  pair  blackish-brown,  tipped  with  white.  Tail  feathers 
broccoli-brown,  edged  with  white,  the  central  pair  blackish-brown 
with  narrow  edgings,  rather  acute,  and  longer  ^hah  the  others. 
Wings  blackish-browil ;  margins  of  the  lesset  Coverts  paler ;  outet 
borders  of  the  quills,  centres  of  their  shafls,  and  thie  tips  of  the  80- 
condarrea  and  greater  coverts,  white.  Region  of  the  bill-,  a  streak  on 
the  loreS)  and  the  ear  feathers  brownish.  Below,  white ;  but  with 
the  sides  of  the  head,  throat,  breast  and  flanks,  spotted  with  blackish- 
brown,  dill  dark-brown,  paler  at  the  base  of  the  lower  mandible, 
shorter  than  Ihe  h^a^,  straight,  the  tip  depressed  aind  slightly  droop- 
ing. —  Cma/e.;  .:'■'-'         .-.■.-.---  .-H-^  ^-^i-;  ■^-a/ii-r; 


PECTORAL   SANDPIPER. 


Ill 


PECTORAL  SANDPIPER.  ■'^ 

(Tringa  pectoralis,  Bonap.  Synops.  et  Am.  Orn.  iv.  p.  43.  pi.  23.  fig. 
2.  [summer  dress.]  Pdidna  pectoralis,  Say,  in  Long's  Expedition.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  about  the  length  of  the  head,  compressed  at 
the  sides,  and  dull  reddish-yellow  at  the  base ;  rump  black ',  middle 
tail  feathers  longest ;  feet  olive  color,  tarsus  one  inch  long.  —  Sum- 
mer plumage  varied  with  black  and  rufous,  beneath  white ;  breast 
rufo-cinereous,  lineated  with  blackish.  Winter  dress,  cinereous- 
brown,  beneath  white  ? 

This  conspicuous  species  of  Sandpiper,  first  detected  by 
Mr.  Say,  is  by  no  means  uncommon  in  various  parts  of  the 
United  States;  migrating  north,  and  perhaps  west,  to  breed, 
as  they  are  common  in  the  remote  plains  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  retire  at  the  approach  of  winter  to  the  southern  limits 
of  the  Union,  being  met  with  at  this  season  also  in  the  West 
Indies.  According  to  d'Azara  and  Bonaparte  they  are 
found  even  in  Brazil  and  at  Montevideo.  They  are  killed  in 
abundance  on  the  shores  of  Cohasset,  and  other  parts  of 
Massachusetts  Bay,  and  are  brought  in  numbers  to  the 
market  of  Boston,  being  very  fat  and  well  flavored.  They 
arrive  in  flocks  about  the  close  of  August,  and  continue 
here,  as  well  as  in  New  Jersey,  till  the  month  of  September, 
and  perhaps  into  October.  In  some  instances,  solitary 
individuals  have  been  killed  in  the  marshes  of  Charles  river, 
in  Cambridge,  about  the  22d  of  July ;  these  were  in  com- 
pany with  the  flocks  of  small  Sandpipers  (  T.  Wilsonii,)  but, 
whether  pairs  may  perhaps  breed  in  the  neighboring  marsh- 
es, or  not,  we  have  not  had  the  means  of  ascertaining. 

While  here,  they  feed  on  small  coleoptera,  larvae,  and  the 
common  green  Ulvalattissima,  as  well  as  some  species  of 
Fucus  or  sea-weed,  on  which  they  become  very  fat.  They 
utter  alow  plaintive  whistle  when  started,  very  similar  to  that 
of  some  other  species.     Like  the  Snipe,  they  seem  fond  of 


y 


112 


WADINO   BIBDS.^ 


damp  meadows  and  marshes,  and  solitary  individuals  are 
often  surprised  by  the  sportsman  in  the  manner  of  that  bird. 

The  Pectoral  Sandpiper  is  commonly  about  10  inches  in  length, 
though  individuals  sometimes  occur  a  full  inch  shorter.  Bill  from  the 
rictus,  or  opening  of  the  mouth,  a  little  more  than  an  inch,  of  a  pur- 
'  plish  flesh-color,  incUning  to  yellow  below,  and  nearly  black  at  the 
tip.  Legs  and  feet  olive.  (7pper  plumage  (in  summer,)  above  black, 
deepest  on  the  head,  back,  and  scapulars,  fading  into  dusky  on  the 
neck,  and  wing  coverts,  with  all  the  feathers  bordered  with  rufous, 
deepest  on  the  head  and  shoulder  of  the  wings,  in  the  pale  parts  of 
the  edgings  becoming  gradually  and  softly  diluted  into,  or  mixed  with, 
white.  Outer  edges  of  the  scapulars  and  contiguous  plumage,  white : 
larger  wing  coverts  edged  with  white  only.  Quills  all  spoUess  and 
dusky,  the  shaft  of  the  first,  white.  Rump  black,  white  at  the  sides. 
Under  plumage,  throat  and  breast,  to  the  shoulders  of  the  wings 
blackish-ash,  extending  in  lines  along  the  shafts  of  the  feathers, 
which  are  there  broadly  tipt  with  brownish-white;  the  rest  of  the 
plumage  and  chin,  nearly  white.  —  In  young  birds,  the  black  feath- 
ers oi  the  rump  are  faintly  edged  with  rufous  :  the  plumage  of  the 
breast  is  paler,  more  broadly  and  delicately  edged  with  rufous  white, 
a  color  also  pervading  the  chin,  which  is  likewise  without  spots, 
(but  in  the   adult  more    white,   and  always  more  or  less  mot- 

'tled.)  Long  axillary  feathers  white.  In  some  birds  the  rufous  edg- 
ings of  the  back  and  scapulars  are  diluted  with  yellowish.  —  In  the 

,  old  birds  of  summer  before  moulting,  the  wing  coverts  and  tertials 
are  worn  to  sharp  points,  and  divested  of  their  rufous  margins,  in 
consequence  of  their  constant  habit,  (in  common  with  other  species) 
of  threading  their  way  through  the  sedge  grass  of  the  marshes,  in 
quest  of  insects.  —  Whether  this  species  becomes  white  on  the  breast 

-  in  winter,  or  not,  I  cannot  say,  from  experience,  but  doubt  the  fact. 

.I'JiJi    ■'_••,.,-.  .  ,         ■'         .  ,  ,.-_     '.-i   ,-.'':,.f        ..••        (•'    .^'-f  'i  ^tlf 


.b} 


BUFF-BREASTED   SANDPIPER. 


BUFF-BREASTED  SANDPIPER. 

(Tringa  rufescens,  Veillot,  Le  Tringa  rotisdtre,  Nouv.  Diet.  d'Hist. 
Naturelle  2de.  edit,  zzxiv.  p.  470.  Encycl.  Method,  p.  1050. 
Tarrel.  in  Lin.  Transact,  zvi.  p.  109.  t.  2.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  blackish,  scarcely  the  length  of  the  head,  near- 
ly straight ;  below  pale  ferruginous ;  inner  webs  of  the  primaries 
mottled ;  rump  blackish ;  legs  and  feet  brown :  tarsus  15  lines 
long.  —  Summer  plumage  varied  with  black  and  brownish-rufous ; 
beneath  rufous,  much  paler  on  the  abdomen.  Winter  dress  un- 
known. 

This  elegant  species,  some  seasons,  is  not  uncommon  in 
the  market  of  Boston,  in  the  month  of  August  and  Septem- 
ber, being  met  with  near  the  capes  of  Massachusetts  Bay. 
My  friend,  Mr.  Cooper,  has  also  obtained  specimens  from 
the  vicinity  of  New  York ;  and  it  was  first  discovered  by 
Veillot,  in  the  then  territory  of  Louisiana,  so  that,  cours- 
ing along  the  shores  of  the  Mississippi,  and  thus  penetrating 
inland,  it  probably  proceeds,  as  well  as  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  sea  coast,  to  its  northern  destination,  to  breed,  and  is 
oflen  here  associated  with  the  Pectoral  Sandpiper,  which 
it  resembles  very  much  in  size,  and  bill,  though  perfectly 
distinct  in  plumage.  As  a  proof,  how  wide  it  wanders, 
this  species  has  also  been  rarely  obtained,  even  in  France 
and  England,  and  a  specimen  figured  in  the  Linnaean 
Transactions  of  London,  is  there  given  as  a  new  addition  to 
the  Fauna  of  that  country.  It  was  shot  in  September  1826, 
in  the  parish  of  Melbourne,  Cambridgeshire,  in  company 
witli  the  Siberian  Plover  or  Guignard  (Charadrius  mori- 
mllus.) 

Its  food,  while  here,  consists  principally  of  land  and  ma- 
rine insects,  particularly  grasshoppers,  which  abounding  in 
the  autumn,  become  the  favorite  prey  of  a  variety  of  birds ; 
even  the  Turnstone  at  this  season,  laying  aside  his  arduous 

10* 


ii4 


WADING   BIRDS. 


'Tfi, 


■A 


employment,  is  now  content  to  feed  upon  these  swarming      ^ 
and  easily  acquired  insects. 

The  length  of  the  Buff-Breasted  Sandpiper  is  from  8  to  9  inches. 
The  bill  is  slender,  very  slightly  curved,  brownish-black,  }  of  an 
inch  measured  from  above,  an  inch  from  the  rictus,  and  from  this 
part  to  the  occiput  aboufc  the  same.  Top  of  the  head  dark  brown, 
the  feathers  edged  with  very  light  brown ;  back  of  the  neck  light 
brown,  with  minute  longitudinal  darker  spots,  the  back  darker,  the 
feathers  tipt  with  brown.  Wing  coverts  palish  brown.  Primaries 
dusky-brown,  tipt  with  white,  shafts,  except  the  first,  dusky;  the 
tertials  and  tail  coverts  brown,  edged  with  a  lighter  tint.  Tail 
wedge-formed,  the  middle  feathers  dusky-brown,  the  lateral  ones  light 
brown  bordered  with  dusky  and  fringed  with  white.  Below  pale  ru- 
fous ;  abdomen,  flanks,  and  under  tail  coverts  nearly  white,  sides  of  the 
neck  faintly  spotted ;  anterior  portions  of  the  under  surface  of  the 
wing  rufous  brown,  the  outer  part  spotted,  under  wing  coverts  pure 
white.  Outer  webs  of  the  primaries  dusky,  inner  half  of  the  inner 
webs  beautifully  mottled  with  dark  specks ;  secondaries  also  mottled 
at  their  bases.  Legs  bare  half  an  inch  above  the  knee.  Middle  toe 
7  eights  of  an  inch.  Tarsus  1|  inches.  —  In  the  young  birds  the 
tints  are  much  lighter,  the  primaries  more  spotted,  some  of  the  inner 
wing  coverts  also  mottled ;  all  the  upper  plumage  more  broadly 
edged  with  pale  buff,  on  the  back  inclining  to  white.  The  color  be- 
neath is  also  buff,  becoming  almost  white  on  the  belly  and  vent.    % 


BROAD-BILLED  SANDPIPER.^^^t  ;   w  i: 

(Tringa  jtlatyrhinca,  Temm.   Bonap.    JVumenius  pygnueus.  Lath. 
nee  Bechst.  Naum.  Vog.  t.  10.  fig.  22.  [summer  adult].) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  longer  than  the  head,  slightly  curved  at  the 
point,  much  depressed  and  reddish-grey  at  base ;  rump  black ;  mid- 
dle tail  feathers  longest ;  feet  greenish-ash ;  tarsus  10  or  11  lines 

•.  \ong.  —  Summer  plumage  varied  with  black  and  rufous ;  beneath 
pure  white.      Winter  dress,  ash-coIo.*,  white  beneath. 

"*  This  species,  according  to  Temminck  and  Bonaparte, 
common  to  both  continents,  is  of  very  rare  occurrence  in  the 
United  States.     In  the  high  boreal  regions  of  Europe  and 


^^i^^i^iadmt^ia 


PURPLE    SANDPIPER. 


116 


America,  it  is  met  with  in  marshes,  near  the  sea,  as  usual, 
and  feeds  upon  small  insects  and  woims.  It  breeds  probably 
in  the  remote  and  desolate  regions  of  the  Arctic  circle.  It  is 
a  bird  of  passage,  seen  along  the  banks  of  rivers  in  the 
eastern  parts  of  Europe,  and  is  not  uncommon  in  the  spring 
season  on  the  borders  of  lakes  in  Switzerland. 

The  length  of  this  species  is  about  7  inches.  The  head,  and  hind 
head  is  of  a  blackish-brown,  divided  by  two  longitudinal  rufous 
bands ;  line  over  the  eyes  white  with  brown  dots ;  the  stripe  between 
the  bill  and  the  eye  of  a  blackish-brown ;  sides  of  the  head  whitish, 
striped  with  brown ;  nape  ash-color,  striped  with  the  same.  Back 
and  scapulars  black,  slenderly  edged  with  rufous,  the  latter  with 
longitudinal  touches  of  whitish  upon  their  outer  webs.  Wing  cov- 
erts  blackish  towards  their  ends,  the  feathers  tipped  with  reddish 
white.  Throat,  vent,  and  abdomen  white ;  the  sides  and  fore  part  of 
the  neck  reddish  white,  with  small  brown  stripes  along  the  shafts,  all 
terminated  with  white.  Some  large  brown  spots  upon  the  flanks ; 
and  upon  the  white  feathers  of  the  lateral  tail  coverts  are  some  lan- 
ceolate spots.  Middle  tail  feathers  black,  bordered  with  rufous ;  the 
lateral,  and  quills  edged  with  pale  grey.  Bill  black,  but  reddish- 
grey  at  base.  —  Summer  plumage.  In  the  young,  the  colors  are 
fainter.  ._  „ 


»*5i«J   'i: 


J  PURPLE  SANDPIPER,     v..  i;,s, 

(Tringa  maritime,  Brunich.  Orn.  Borealis,  No.  182.  Gmel.  Lath. 
Ind.  Orn.  ii.  p.  731.  sp.  18.  Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  619.  [ed. 
alt.]  BoNAp.  Am.  Orn.  Mss.  T.  nigricans^  Lin.  Trans,  iv.  p. 
40.  t.  2.  fig.  2.  T.  striata,  Gmel.  i.  p.  672.  Lath.  Striated  Sand- 
piper, Arct.  Zool.  xi.  No,  383..  Lath.  3yn.  v.  p.  176.  Selninger 
Sandpiper,  Lath.  Syn.  v.  p.  173.  15  ?    Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  480.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  longer  than  the  head,  hardly  curved  at  the 
point,  compressed  and  reddish  at  the  base ;  rump  black ;  the  mid- 
dle tail  feathers  longest;  feet  reddish-yellow,  the  naked  space 
above  the  knee  very  small.  —  Summer  plumage  purplish-black,  va- 
ried with  white  and  rufous ;  beneath  whitish,  with  dusky  spots. 
Winter  dress,  blackish,  beneath  whitish,  streaked  with  dusky. 

The   Purple  Sandpiper,  is  another  of  those  wandering 
species  common  to  the  cold  regions  of  both  continents,  con- 


116 


WADIDO  BIRDS. 


y^ 


fining  its  visits  principally  to  the  rocky  and  shelving  sea 
coasts,  where  it  obtains  in  more  abundance,  the  minute 
Crustacea,  molusca,  and  the  fry  of  shell-fish,  which  adhere 
commonly  to  the  sea  weeds  or  Fuci  in  such  situations ;  and 
so  peculiar  is  this  habit,  that  in  Holland,  where  they  are 
now  common,  they  have  only  appeared  with  the  existence 
and  ac .  ancement  of  the  artificial  moles  which  have  been 
built.     In  Norway,  along  the  rocky  shores  of  the  Baltic, 
and  on  similar  coasts  of  the  Mediterranean,  in  the  west 
of  England,  and  around  Hudson's  Bay,  they  are  common. 
In  Russia,  Siberia,  and  Iceland,  they  are  also  found,  but 
less  frequent.     In  other  parts  of  America  they  are  scarcely 
ever  seen.     Leaving  the  inclement  coasts  of  their  nativity, 
they  proceed  probably  by  Greenland,  and  migrate  directly 
to  the  rocky  coasts  of  Norway,  and  in  the  course  of  the 
winter  visit,  for  a  while,  the  colder  parts  of  Europe.     Ac- 
cording to  Dr.  Richardson,  they  breed  abundantly  on  the 
shores  of  Hudson's  Bay,  as  well  as  in  that  coldest  and  most 
desolate  of  boreal  climates,  Melville  Peninsula ;  laying  the 
usual  number  of  eggs,  which  are  of  a  pyriform  figure  16^ 
lines  long,  and  an  inch  across  at  the  larger  end.     They  are 
yellowish-grey,  interspersed  with  small    irregular  spots  of 
pale  hair-brown,  more  abundant  at  the  larger  end,  and  rare 
at  the  other.     It  is  seldom  seen  inland,  or  on  the  borders  of 
rivers,  where  its  appearance  is  accidental ;  its  piping  note  is 
very  similar  to  that  of  other  species ;    is  not  shy,   oflen 
caught  in  snares,  and  the  flesh  accounted  palatable. 

Length  of  the  Fiirple  Sandpiper  8  inches  or  upwards.  In  the 
tointer  plumage  the  top  of  the  head,  cheeks,  and  the  sides  and  fore 
part  of  the  neck,  blackish-grey.  Throat,  space  around  the  eye,  and 
a  small  spot  between  the  eye  and  bill,  whitish-ash ;  breast  grey,  the 
feathers  terminated  with  white  crescents.  Back  and  scapulars  vio- 
let black  with  purple  reflections,  the  feathers  tipped  with  dark 
ash.  Wing  coverts  blackish,  edged  with  pale  ash.  Lower  partr 
white,  the  flanks,  however,  marked  with  large  spots  of  dark  ash,  auJ 


.y^ 


STINT,   OK  LITTLE   SANDPIPER. 


117 


the  lower  tail  coverts  with  blackish  lanceolate  spots.  Rump  and  the 
two  central  tail  feathers  black,  all  the  others  ash,  edged  with  white. 
Bill  black,  reddish  at  base,  1  inch  2  lines  measured  from  above ;  in  the 
female  often  as  much  as  a  quarter  of  an  inch  longer.  Legs  and  feet 
ochre-yellow.  Iris  blackish.  —  In  old  individuals  the  violet  and  pur* 
{dfl  reflections  are  most  lively.  —  In  young  birds  the  black  of  the 
plumage  is  duller,  with  pale  rufous  edgings,  and  the  wing  coverts 
broadly  edged  with  white ;  with  large  longitudinal  spots  upon  the 
flanks  and  abdomen.  The  base  of  the  bill  and  feet  also  pale  yellow- 
ish. Summer  plumage.  —  Summit  of  the  head,  back,  mantle  and 
scapulars,  violet  black,  the  feathers  bordered  and  tipt  by  a  wide  edg- 
ing of  pure  white,  or  touched  laterally  with  a  tinge  of  rufous.  Fore 
part  of  the  neck,  breast,  and  vent,  marked  with  blackish  oval  and 
lanceolate  spots  upon  a  greyish-white  ground,  appearing  in  longitu- 
dinal stripes  upon  the  tail  coverts ;  middle  of  the  abdomen  pure  white. 


r,^^\> 


Hi':  , 


•  n■}t.^'■■■'■i•'',■i^•^  -iis^ir'v  ■  > 


STINT,  OR  LITTLE  SANDPIPER. 

(Tringa  pusilla,  Lin.  GHmel.  Syst.  ii.  p.  681.  Bechst.  Naturg.  Deut. 
iv.  p.  308.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  738.  8.  [ezcl.  syn.  Wilson,  et  BoN- 
AP.]  Little  Sandpiper,  Mont.  Orn.  Diet.  Fleming.  Brit.  Anim.  p. 
108.  Little  Stint,  or  Least  Snipe,  Bewick,  Brit.  Birds,  ii.  pp.  122. 
Brown  Sandpiper,  Brit.  Zool.  ii.  No.  195.  Tringa  Temminckii, 
Leisler,  Nachtr.  zu  Bechst.  Naturg.  Deut.  Hept.  i.  p.  65,  9,  70, 
73.    Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  622.  et  PI.  Color.  41.  fig.  1.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  shorter  than  the  head,  nearly  straight;  rump 
blackish ;  feathers  of  the  tail  graduated,  one  or  two  of  the  outer 
pure  vihite.  —  Summer  plumage  black,  varied  with  rufous,  beneath 
except  the  breast,  white.  Winter  i  ess,  ashy -brown,  beneath 
principally  white.  ....  ,,  ?• 

This  small  species,  the  Little  Stint,  subsequently  dedi- 
cated to  one  who  has  so  well  elucidated  the  history  of  these 
variable  and  protean  birds,  is  again  a  common  inhabitant 
of  the  Arctic  circle  throughout  the  northern  hemisphere, 
from  whence  after  the  breeding  season,  accumulating  in  hun- 
gry flocks,  they  abandon  for  a  while  their  natal  regions,  and 


1?.8 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


[  ji: 


w 


like  the  Tatarian  hordes  of  antiquity,  but  harmless  in  their 
inroads,  they  spread  themselves  at  the  early  approach  of  the 
hyperboreal  winter,  into  different  parts  of  the  German  em- 
pire ;  frequenting  now  the  borders  of  lakes  and  rivers,  along 
the  course  of  which  they  pursue  their  emigrations,  feeding 
as  they  offer,  upon  various  kinds  of  small  insects.  Their 
visits  in  the  United  States  are  very  rare ;  they  appear  equal- 
ly, stragglers  and  wanderers  upon  the  lake  of  Geneva,  in 
Switzerland,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Tiber  at  Rome ;  at 
such  times  they  may  very  probably  visit  the  interior  of 
France,  as  they  do  occasionally  Great  Britain.  They  are 
not  noticed,  (though  probably  confounded  with  Wilson's 
T.  pusilla,)  in  Parry  and  Richardson's  account  of  the  Arc- 
tic regions ;  their  manners,  as  well  as  plumage  and  size,  in 
all  probability,  being  so  very  similar,  that  the  history  of  one, 
often  necessarily  includes  that  of  others.  Their  breeding 
retreats,  yet  unknown,  are  probably  far  to  the  north. 

The  length  of  this  species  is  about  G  inches.  —  In  the  livery  of  win- 
ter, all  the  upper  parts  are  dark  brown,  with  tints  of  blackish-brown 
along  the  shafts  of  the  feathers.  Breast,  and  fore  part  of  the  neck 
rufous-ash.  Throat,  all  the  lower  parts,  and  lateral  coverts  of  the  tai- 
white,  intermediate  tail  coverts  blackish ;  the  4  middle  feathers  ashyl 
brown,  the  others  whitish,  and  the  exterior  pure  white.  Bill  and 
legs  brown.  —  In  the  young  of  the  year,  all  the  upper  parts  are  black- 
ish-ash, paler  on  the  hind  head,  and,  except  on  the  last,  edged  with 
yellowish.  The  scapulars  blackish  towards  their  extremities;  breast 
and  sides  of  the  neck,  ash,  slightly  tinged  with  rufous.  Throat,  su- 
perciliary ridge,  and  lower  parts,  white ;  all  the  feathers  of  the  tail, 
except  the  outer,  tipped  with  pale  rufous.  Legs  and  feet  greenish- 
brown.  —  Summer  plumage  :  Above  black,  the  feathers  widely  bor- 
dered with  deep  rufous.  Front,  fore  part  of  the  neck  and  breast,  ru- 
fous ash,  with  very  small  longitudinal  stripes  of  black.  Throat, 
lower  parts,  and  lateral  tail  feathers,  white ;  central  tail  feathers 
blaokish-brown,  bordered  with  deep  rufous. 


»»r  ffifit.   M%{-?v! 


\^ 


il*> 


PIGMY  SANDPIPER. 


PIGMY  SaNTI^PIPER. 


no 


(THnga  iiiinuta,  "  Leisler,  Nachtr  zu  Bechst.  Naturg^.  Deut.  Heft. 
I.  p.  74."  T<:mm.  ii.  p.  624.  Naum.  Yog.  t.  21.  fig.  30.  [young.] 
BoNAP.  Synops.  No.  254.    Richardson,  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  385.) 

Sr.  Charact.  —  Bill  shorter  than  the  head,  straight ;  rump  blackish  ; 
the  outer  as  well  as  the  middle  tail  feathers,  longer  than  the  rest, 
tlie  lateral  ones  dark  ash,  edged  with  white ',  the  tarsus  longer 
than  the  bill,  about  10  lines.  —  Summer  plumage  blackish,  varied 
with  rufous,  beneath,  except  the  breast,  white.  Winter  dress  ci- 
nereous, below  principally  white. 

This  is  another  ambiguous  species,  scarcely  distinguish- 
able from  the  preceding  and  following,  but  much  more  ex- 
tensively dispersed  over  the  world ;  and,  though  in  the  breed- 
ing season  immured  in  the  desolate  regions  of  the  north,  at 
the  early  approach  of  winter,  the  pigmy  bands,  leaving  the 
arctic  wilderness,  are  now  seen  wandering  along  the  borders 
of  rivers  in  Germany,  France,  Italy,  Holland,  and  Switzer- 
land, (being  common  on  the  lake  of  Geneva,)  and  extending 
their  periodical  voyages  beyond  Europe,  have  been  killed  even 
in  Bengal  in  India.  Though  rare,  they  are  not  less  widely 
migratory  on  the  present  continent,  appearing  in  the  autumn 
in  abundance,  on  the  extensive  marine  flats  at  the  estuaries 
of  Nelson's  and  Hayes'  rivers,  in  the  distant  fur  countries ; 
aiierwards  visiting  Nova  Scotia,  and  usually  passing  at  once 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  Union,  they  reappear,  according  to 
Veillot,  in  the  islands  of  the  Antilles,  spreading  themselves, 
in  all  probability,  with  the  other  similar  species,  throughout 
Mexico,  and  along  the  coasts  of  all  the  warmer  parts  of 
America.  Their  actual  breeding  places,  are,  however,  yet 
unknown ;  but  their  food,  as  usual,  is  very  small  worms,  and 
fluviatile  and  marsh  insects,  which  they  commonly  assemble 
to  collect  at  the  recess  of  the  tides. 


190 


WAOINO   BIRDg.  " 


The  Pigmy  Sandpiper  ii  about  6  inchet  in  length.  —  In  the  adult 
tointer  plumage  of  thii  ipeciei,  all  the  upper  part*  are  cinereoui, 
and  black iih-brown  along  the  ahafUi  of  the  feathera.  Sides  of  the 
breast  aahy •rufous.  A  brown  stripe  between  the  eye  and  bill.  Mid- 
dle of  the  breast,  throat,  superciliary  stripe,  fore  part  of  the  neck, 
all  the  lower  parts^  with  the  exception  of  the  lateral  feathers  of 
the  upper  tail  coyerts,  white.  Lateral  tail  feathers  ashy-brown, 
edged  with  white ;  the  2  middle  ones  brown.  Bill  and  feet  brown- 
ish-black, the  former  Si^  lines  long.  —  Summer  plumage :  with  the 
■ummit  of  the  head  black,  varied  with  bright  rufous.  Cheeks, 
sides  of  the  neck,  and  of  the  breast,  pale  rufous,  scattered  with 
small  brown  angular  spots.  Superciliary  stripe,  throat,  middle 
of  the  breMt,  and  all  the  lower  parts,  white.  Back,  scapulars,  wing 
coyerts,  rump,  and  the  2  middle  feathers  of  the  tail,  deep  black, 
all  broadly  bordered  and  tipt  with  bright  rufous ;  the  lateral  upper 
tail  coverts  alone  excepted,  which  are  white,  with  isolated  spots, 
All  the  lateral  tail  feathers  brown-ash,  but  edged  with  white.  A 
specimen  killed  in  July,  by  Dr.  Richardson,  had  the  legs  wax-yel- 
low.— ^The  young  of  the  year  very  similar  to  those  of  the  preceding 
and  following  species ;  the  rufous  borders  of  the  feathers  being  paler, 
and  inclining  in  some  parts  to  yellow. 


#K;S^i- 


.ites^f"* 


;.  - '1?^    -\'   ;■■  ■■  ■     ,     ',■',     '.-J'-'s^^    '    :'■,-'■    ■'     ^'^■■■■■'r  - 


%:' 


^f^ 


•\ 


■ir      . 


WILSON'S  SANDPIPER. 

{Tringa*Wilsonii,  Nobis.  Little  Sandpiper,  (T.  pusilla,)  Wilson, 
(nee  auct.)  v.  p.  32.  pi.  37.  fig.  4.  Bona  p.  Synops.  No.  255.  Cin- 
elus  dominicenais  minor,  Briss.  v.  p.  322.  13.  t.  25.  fig.  2.  Phil. 
Museum,  No.  4138.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  much  shorter  than  the  head,  straight;  rump 
blackish ;  the  middle  tail  feathers  longest,  the  lateral  ones  of  equal 

'  length  with  etieh  other,  dark  ash-color,  edged  with  white  ;  tarsus 
about  equal  to  the  bill,  8  lines  long.  —  Summer  plumage  blackish, 
varied  with  rufous,  beneath,  except  the  breast,  white.  Winter 
dress  cinereous,  beneath  principally  white. 

This  small,  and  nearly  resident  species,  may  be  consid- 
ered as  the  most  common  and  abundant  in  America,  inhab- 
iting the  shores  and  marshes  of  the  whole  continent,  both 
to  the  north  and  south  of  the  equator ;  retiring  probably, 
with  the  inclemency  of  the  season,  indifferently,  from  either 
frigid  circle,  towards  the  warmer  and  more  hospitable  re- 
gions within  the  tropics.  They  are  consequently  seen, 
spring  and  autumn,  in  all  the  markets  of  the  Union,  as  well 
as  in  those  of  the  West  Indies,  Vera  Cruz,  and  in  the  in- 
terior as  far  as  Mexico.  Captain  Cook  also  found  them  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  continent,  frequenting  the  shores 

II 


122 


WADINO    BIRDS. 


'   of  Nootka  Sound.     Tliu  great  mass  of  their  pigmy  host  re^ 
tire  to  breed  within  the  desolate  lands  of  the  Arctic  circle, 
where,  about  the  20th  of  May,  or  as  soon  as  the  snow  be- 
gins to  melt,  and   the  rigors  of   the  long  and  nocturnal 
winter  relax,  they  are  again  seen  to  return  to  the  shores  and 
the  swampy  borders  of  their  native  lakes,  in  the  inclement 
parallel  of  66*^.     Though  shy  and  quailing  on  their  first  arri- 
val, with  many  other  aerial  passengers  of  like  habits,  they  con- 
tribute to  give  an  air  of  life  and  activity,  to  these  most  drea- 
ry, otherwise  desolate,  and  inhospitable  regions  of  the  earth. 
Endowed  with  different  wants  and  predilections  from  the 
preceding  hosts,  whose  general  livery  they  wear,  they  never 
seemingly  diverge  in  their  passage  so  far  to  the  eastward  as 
to  visit  Greenland,  and  the  contiguous  extremity  of  northern 
Europe,  being  unknown  in  the  other  continent ;  and  migra^ 
ting  always  towards  the  south,  they  have  thickly  peopled 
almost  every  part  of  the  country  that  gave  them  birth. 

The  Peeps,  as  they  are  here  called,  are  seen  in  the  salt 
marshes  around  Boston,  as  early  as  the  Sth  of  July ;  indeed, 
so  seldom  are  they  absent  from  us  in  the  summer  season, 
that  they  might  be  taken  for  denizens  of  the  state,  or  the 
neighboring  countries,  did  we  not  know  that  they  repair,  at 
an  early  period  of  the  spring,  to  their  breeding  resorts  in  the 
distant  north ;  and  that,  as  yet,  numerous  and  familiar  as 
they  are,  the  nest,  and  history  of  their  incubation  is  wholly 
unknown.  ^  '  'v  -  'f'-.  ; 

When  they  arrive,  now  and  then  accompanied  by  the 
Semipalmated  species,  the  air  is  sometimes,  as  it  were, 
clouded  with  their  flocks.  Companies  led  from  place  to 
place,  in  quest  of  food,  are  seen  whirling  suddenly  in  circles, 
with  a  desultory  flight,  at  a  distance  resembling  a  swarm  of 
hiving  bees,  seeking  out  some  object  on  which  to  settle.  At 
this  time,  deceiving  them  by  an  imitation  of  their  sharp  and 
querulous  whistle,  the  fowler  approaches,  and  adds  destruc- 


WILSON  B    SANDPIPER 


133 


tion  to  the  confuHion  of  their  timorous  and  restless  flight. 
Flocking  together  for  common  security,  the  fall  of  their  com* 
panions,  and  their  plaintive  cry,  excites  so  much  sympathy 
among  the  harmless  Feeps,  that,  forgeting  their  own  safety, 
or  not  well  perceiv  iig  the  cause  of  the  fatality  which  the  gun 
spreads  among  them,  they  fall  sometimes  into  such  a  state  of 
confusion,  as  to  be  routed  with  but  little  effort,  until  the 
greedy  sportsman  is  glutted  with  his  timorous  and  infatuated 
game.  When  much  disturbed,  they,  however,  separate  into 
small  and  wandering  parties,  where  they  are  now  seen  glean- 
ing their  fare  of  karva?,  worms,  minute  shell-fish,  and  insects 
in  the  salt  marshes,  or  on  the  muddy  and  sedgy  shores  of  tide 
rivers  and  ponds.  At  such  times  they  may  be  very  nearly  ap- 
proached, betraying  rather  a  heedless  familiarity,  than  a 
timorous  mistrust  of  their  most  wily  enemy  ;  and  even  when 
rudely  startled,  they  will  oilen  return  to  the  same  place  in 
the  next  instant,  to  pursue  their  lowly  occupation  of  scoop- 
ing in  the  mud,  and  hence  probably  originated  the  contemp- 
tible appellation  of  humility,  by  which  they  and  some  other 
small  birds  of  similar  habits  have  been  distinguished.  For 
the  discovery  of  their  food,  their  flexible  and  sensitive  awl-like 
bills  are  probed  into  the  mire,  marshy  soil,  or  wet  sand,  in  the 
manner  of  the  Snipe  and  Woodcock,  and  in  this  way  they  dis- 
cover and  route  from  their  hidden  retreats,  the  larvsB  and  soil 
worms  which  form  a  principal  part  of  their  fare.  At  other 
times,  they  also  give  chase  to  insects,  and  pursue  their  call- 
ing with  amusing  alacrity.  When,  at  length  startled,  or 
about  to  join  the  company  they  have  left,  a  sharp,  short  and 
monotonous  whistle,  like  the  word  peet,  or  peep  is  uttered, 
and  they  instantly  take  to  wing,  and  course  along  with  the 
company  they  had  leil.  On  seeing  the  larger  marsh  birds 
feeding,  as  the  Yellow-Shanks  and  others,  a  whirling  flock 
of  the  Peeps  will  descend  amongst  them,  being  generally 
allowed  to  feed  in  quiet ;  and  on  the  approach  of  the  sports- 


%■... 


^^ 


124 


WADING   BIRDS. 


\\ 


man,  these  little  timorous  rovers  are  ready  to  give  the  alarm. 
At  first  a  slender  peep  is  heard,  which  is  then  followed  by 
two  or  three  others,  and  presently  peet  'pip  'pip  'p'p  mur- 
murs in  a  lisping  whistle  through  the  quailing  ranks,  as  they 
rise  swarming  on  the  wing,  and  inevitably  entice  with  them 
their  larger  but  less  watchful  associates.  Towards  evening, 
in  fine  weather,  the  marshes  almost  reecho  with  the  shrill, 
but  rather  murmuring  or  lisping,  subdued,  and  querulous  call 
oipeet,  and  then  a  repetition  ofpe-dee,  pe-dee,  dee  dee,  which 
seems  to  be  the  collecting  cry  of  the  old  birds  calling  to- 
gether their  brood,  for,  when  assembled,  the  note  changes 
into  a  confused  murmur  of  peef,  peet,  attended  by  a  short 
and  suppressed  whistle. 

At  most  times,  except  in  the  spring,  they  are  fat,  and  well 
flavored,  though  less  esteemed  than  many  of  the  .other  species, 
from  their  smallness,  and  an  occasional  sadgy  taste,  which 
deteriorates  them.  From  the  oily  and  deliquescent  nature 
of  the  fat,  which  loads  the  cellular  membrane  in  this  hyper- 
boreal  natal  family  of  birds,  we  may,  perhaps,  perceive  a  con- 
stitutional reason,  why  most  of  them  thrive  better,  and  have 
such  a  predilection  for  those  cool  and  temperate  climates, 
in  which  they  renew  their  exhausted  vigor,  and  acquire 
tht;  requisite  strength  and  energy  necessary  for  the  period 
of  reproduction.  It  is  indeed  certain,  that  those  stragglers, 
which,  from  age  or  disability,  remain,  as  it  were,  hermits, 
secluded  fi'om  the  rest  of  the  wandering  host,  do  neither 
propagate,  nor  fatten,  while  thus  detained  through  summer  in 
the  warmer  climates.  Of  this  we  have  already  mentioned 
instances,  in  the  case  of  straggling  Curlews,  killed  in  this 
vicinity  by  the  18th  of  July,  a  period  when  the  main  mass 
of  the  species  are  engaged  in  feeding,  or  just  hatching  their 
tender  young. 

This  little  Sandpiper,  which  we  have  named  in  honor  of 
Wilson,  (certainly  not  being  the  species  first  intended  as 


'1 


w 


KNOT,    OR   ASH-COLORED    SANDPIPER. 


125 


Tringa  pusilla,)  leaves  us  by  the  close  of  September,  and 
departs  from  the  Middle  States,  towards  its  remote  hybernal 
retreats,  in  the  course  of  the  month  of  October. 

The  present  species,  and  some  others,  appear,  occasion- 
ally, to  feed  partially  on  vegetable  substances,  as  well  as 
on  animals  ;  as  I  have  found  in  their  stomachs  pieces  appa- 
rently of  Zostera  roots,  and  flowers  of  the  Marsh  Plantain. 

The  length  of  this  species  varies  from  CJ  to  7i  inches  !  (indeed 
Wilson  gives  only  5J^  inches  to  the  specimen  he  happened  to  meas- 
ure). —  Summer  plumage :  with  the  top  of  the  head,  base  of  the  neck, 
scapulars,  interscapulars,  and  lower  row  of  wing  coverts,  dark 
brownish-black,  bordered  with  chestnut,  and  pale  yellowish-brown 
or  rufous.  Neck  dusky-ash,  with  central  dark  spots.  Lower  part  of 
the  back,  middle  tail  coverts,  and  central  pair  of  tail  feathers,  black, 
edged  with  pale  brown.  Lateral  tail  coverts  white,  blotched  with 
black ;  lateral  tail  feathers  darkish  cinereous,  faintly  tipt  with  white. 
Wings  dusky  black,  the  primary  coverts,  posterior  primaries,  and 
secondaries  tipped  and  edged  with  white.  A  dark  line  on  the  lores. 
Chin  and  superciliary  stripe  white,  the  latter  dotted.  Middle  of  the 
breast,  belly,  flanks,  under  tail  coverts,  inner  wing  coverts,  and 
thighs  pure  white ;  sides  of  the  breast  and  lower  part  of  the  throat 
pale  rufous-ash,  faintly  streaked  with  pale  brown.  Bill  blackish. 
Xiegs  dark  broyvn. 


'\ 


KNOT,  OR  ASH-COLORED  SANDPIPER. 


^^^•■ 


(Tringa  cinerea,  Linn.  Wilson,  vii.  p.  36.  pi.  57.  fig.  2.  [winter 
dress.]  T.  rufa,  Ibid.  (Red  breasted  Sandpiper.)  vii.  p  43.  pi.  57. 
fig.  5.  [summer  dress.]  T.  canuta,  islandica,  cinerea,  australis? 
ncevia,  grisea !  Gmel.   Phil.  Museum,  No.  4050,  and  4060.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  straight,  scarcely  longer  than  the  head ;  rump 
white,  barred  with  black  ;  tail  even. —  Summer  plumage  black, 
varied  with  ferruginous,  beneath  dusky.  Winter  dress,  pale  ash 
color,  beneath  white.  The  young,  dark  ash,  varied  with  black 
and  white ;  beneath  white. 

This  large  and  variable  species,  described  under  such  a 
variety  of  names,  is  again  a  denizen  of  both  continents, 


i: 


't' r 


aS 


m 


138 


WADING    BIRDS. 


passing  the  summer  or  reproductive  season  in  the  utmost 
habitable  limits  of  the  arctic  circle.  Captain  Parry's  ad- 
venturous party  found  it  breeding  on  Melville  Peninsula, 
and  in  other  parts  of  those  hyperboreal  regions  ;  as  on  Seal 
Islands,  probably,  near  Chatteux  Bay,  as  well  as  in  the 
yicinity  of  Hudson's  Bay,  down  to  the  55th  parallel.  It  is 
also  supposed  to  breed  in  Denmark,  and  in  the  Orkney  Isl- 
ands. They  are  likewise  met  with  in  Iceland,  on  the  shores 
of  the  Caspian,  and  the  banks  of  the  Don  and  Choper  in 
Russia,  and  continuing  eastward  towards  the  American 
continent,  in  that  direction,  are  again  found  in  Siberia, 
and  on  the  other  side  of  the  boreal  circle  at  Nootka 
Sound. 

According  to  Mr.  Hutchins,  the  Knot  lays  4  eggs,  on  a 
tuft  of  withered  grass,  which  are  of  a  dun  color,  copiously 
marked  with  reddish  spots.  In  Great  Britain,  this  species 
chiefly  confines  its  visits  to  the  fens  of  Lincolnshire,  the 
Isle  of  Ely,  and  a  few  other  places.  Great  flocks  also, 
in  the  winter  season,  visit  the  shores  of  Flintshire  in  Wales. 
In  the  fens  they  are  taken  in  great  numbers,  in  nets,  by 
means  of  stuffed  skins,  called  stale  birds.  According  to 
Ifennant,  as  many  as  fourteen  dozen  have  been  taken  at 
once,  the  seas(Hi  being  frcan  August  to  November,  as  they 
migrate  with  the  appearance  of  the  first  frosts.  They  are 
fattened  and  fed  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Ruffs,  and 
are  by  some  even  preferred  as  game.  According  to  the 
account  of  Mr.  Lewis,  they  sometimes  even  breed  in  Eng- 
land, arriving  with  the  Ruffs,  and  laying  a  pale  ferrugin- 
ous egg,  in  size  rather  inferior  to  that  of  the  Lapwing,  mark- 
ed with  spots  and  streaks  of  rust-cok>r  and  cinereous. 

About  the  middle  of  August^  flocks  of  the  Knot,  stiQ 
clad  in  their  nuptial  and  summer  plumage,  appear  on  the 
shores  and  in  the  marshes  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  Mas- 
sachusetts Bay,  particularly  around  Chatham  and  the  Vin<^ 


V 


KNOT,   OR    ASn-COLORED    BANDPIPER. 


iVi 


yard.  In  many,  however,  the  moult  of  autumn  has  already 
commenced ;  but  in  the  nearer  vicinity  of  Boston,  flocks  of 
the  young  only  are  seen,  disguised  in  the  elegantly  marked, 
and  sober  grey  of  winter.  When  not  harassed  they  are  by 
no  means  shy,  allowing  of  a  pretty  near  approach,  while 
busily  and  sedately  employed  in  gleaning  their  food  along 
the  strand,  chiefly  at  the  recess  of  the  tide ;  where,  in  friendly 
company  with  the  small  Peep  and  other  kindred  species, 
the  busy  flocks  are  seen  gleaning  up  the  rejectamenta  of 
the  ocean,  or  quickly  and  intently  probing  the  moist  sand 
for  worms  and  minute  shell-Ash,  running  nimbly  before  the 
invading  surge,  and  profiting  by  what  it  leaves  behind. 
They  seem  like  a  diminutive  army,  marshalled  in  rank,  and 
spreading  their  animated  lines,  while  perpetually  engaged 
in  an  advance  or  retreat  before  the  break  of  the  resounding 
and  ceaseless  waves.  Bred  in  solitudes,  remote  from  the 
haunts  of  men,  the  young,  in  particular,  seem  unconscious  of 
danger  from  the  fowler,  and  a  flock  may  sometimes  be  suc- 
cessively thinned  by  the  gun,  till  the  whole  are  nearly  des- 
troyed j  when  wounded,  however,  they  take  to  the  water 
4nd  swim  with  ease. 

On  the  coast  of  New  Jersey  and  other  parts  of  the  Middle 
States,  they  arrive  in  October,  and  are  seen  along  the  strand 
in  flock*,  but  disappear  early  in  December,  on  their  way 
south  to  their  winter  quarters  within  the  tropics,  as  a  mere 
variety,  the  T.  australis,  has  been  obtained  in  Cayenne. 
On  their  return,  they  appear  on  the  coast  of  the  Middle 
States  early  in  May,  on  their  way  to  their  congenial  retreats 
in  the  north ;  but  at  this  time,  few  are  to  be  seen  compared 
with  the  accumulating  flocks  of  autumn ;  while,  at  the 
same  season,  in  Holland,  they  are  most  abundant.  Some 
of  these  birds,  in  their  rufous  plumage,  have  been  observed 
to  linger  on  the  neighboring  coast,  till  the  20th  of  July,  so 
that  they  must  either  have  bred  in  the  vicinity,  or  have 


198 


WADING  BIRDS. 


V\ 


passed  the  season  in  celibacy,  lingering  behind  the  migrating 
flocks ;  a  habit  which  appears  to  be  more  or  less  common 
with  many  other  of  the  aquatic  and  wading  birds. 

The  Knot,  or  Ash  Colored  Sandpiper  is  usually  about  10  inches 
long,  and  30  in  alar  extent,  though  specimens  occur  from  9  to 
11  inches  in  length !  In  the  winter  plumage,  the  throat,  and  middle 
of  the  belly,  is  white.  Front,  superciliary  stripe,  sides  and  fore  part 
of  the  neck,  breast  and  flanks  also  white,  but  varied  with  small  lon- 
gitudinal brown  spots,  and  transverse  zigzag  ashy-brown  bands.  >" 
Head,  neck,  back,  and  scapulars  pale  ash,  with  the  shafls  of  the 
feathers  liver-brown.  Rump,  and  upper  tail  coverts  white,  with 
black  curving  and  zigzag  bars.  Wing  coverts  cinereous,  edged  with 
white,  and  the  shafts  dusky.  Tail  feathers  pale  cinereous,  fringed 
with  white.  Bill,  legs  and  feet,  black,  with  a  tint  of  olive.  Irids 
hazel.  The  bill  in  the  adult,  1  inch  3  lines.  In  the  young  I  inch  1 
line.  —  Tringa  cinerea,  grisea,  et  canuttis,  Gmel.  Syst.  i.  p.  673. 
Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  733.  La  mauhhche  Grise,  Buff.  Ois.  vii.  p.  531. 
PI.  Enlum,  366. 

In  the  young  of  the  year,  the  ash  of  the  back  and  scapulars  is  very 
dark,  and  all  the  feathers  terminating  in  two  very  narrow  bordering 
crescents,  or  curving  edges,  the  upper  of  which  is  dusky  and  the 
lower  white.  The  head  longitudinally,  and  cleared  spotted  with 
dusky-brown.  A  faint  tint  of  rufous  white  upon  the  lower  part  of 
the  throat  and  breast ;  a  dusky  mottled  band  from  the  eye  to  the 
bill.  Bill  shorter  and  paler  than  in  the  adult.  —  Tringa  cinerea^ 
Wilson. 

In  the  summer  plumage,  the  wide  superciliary  stripe,  throat,  sides 
and  fore  part  of  the  neck,  breast,  bally,  and  flanks  bright  ferruginous. 
Nape  rufous,  with  small  longitudinal  spots.  Summit  of  the  head, 
back,  and  scapulars,  black,  the  feathers  bordered  with  bright  rufous ; 
oval  spots  of  the  same  upon  the  scapulars.  Abdomen  white,  with 
touches  of  rufous,  and  spots  of  dusky  brown.  Upper  tail  coverts 
white,  with  black  curving  bars  and  rufous  spots.  Tail  feathers 
blackish-ash,  fringed  with  white.  —  Tringa  islandica,  Gmel.  Lath. 
T.ferruginea,  Meyer,   T.  rufa,  Wilson. 

The  young,  in  the  first  moult  of  the  spring,  have  all  the  bright  fer- 
ruginous parts  of  the  old,  of  a  pale  rufous ;  the  summit  of  the  head 
and  nape  yellowish-grey,  with  dusky-brown  spots.  There  is  a 
mixture  of  blackish  and  pale  rufous  upon  the  top  of  the  back  :  the 


•  - .  t 


KNOT,  OR  ASH-COLORED  SANDPIPER. 


129 


oval  rufouB  spots  on  the  scapulars,  are  very  pale.  Middle  of  the 
belly,  and  sometimes  the  breast  varied  with  white  feathers,  which 
are  spotted  with  brown.  More  cinereous  feathers  on  the  upper  parts, 
and  more  white  feathers  upon  the  lower  parts ;  the  whole  regulated 
by  the  epoch  of  the  moult.  —  Calidris,  Briss.  Orn  v.  p.  226.  T. 
ncevia,  et  australis,  Gm£i,.  Lath.  Dusky,  Speckled,  and  Southern 
Sandpiper,  of  Latham. 

Obs.  In  this  singular  retrenchment  of  species,  made  by  modem 
authors,  I  make  little  doubt  but  that  several  kinds  of  Knots  are  blend- 
ed together.  I  have  lately  seen  in  the  portfolio  of  Mr.  Audubon,  a 
drawing  of  a  grey  Knot,  in  which  the  dossal  feathers  are  without 
crescents,  and  the  bill  and  legs  are  of  a  lively  aap  green,  fyc. 


Subgenus.  —  Machetes.     (Cuvier.)  i^. 

With  the  outer  and  middle  toe  united  by  a  membrane  as  far  as 
the  first  joint.  The  males  provided  with  peculiar  ornaments  during 
the  continuance  of  the  breeding  season. 


1 


../* '  •  ■:"";-  ■-H.'.^.w-m^.'- 


.-iS'.--         ■      i^i  :t^m'-  t    - 


w 


THE  RUFF. 

(Tringa  pugnax,  Linn.  Pugnax.  Bkiss.  Philomachus,  Mcehrino. 
Combattant,  Buff.  Ois.  vii.  p.  521.  t.  29.  30.  [male.]  T.  littorea, 
Ghel.  i.  p.  677.  Lath.  T.  Grenovicensis,  Ib.  T.  equestris,  Ib.  Gam- 
bet,  and  Yellow-legged  Sandpiper,  Mont.  Orn.  Dict.Totanus cinereus, 
Briss.  v.  p.  203.  17.  2.  [female  and  young.]  Ruff  and  Reeve,  Brit. 
Zool.  ii.  No.  192.  t.  69.  Don.  Brit.  Birds,  t.  19.  Bewick,  ii.  p.  95.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  slightly  curved  and  enlarged  towards  the  point ; 
legs  long;  tail  rounded,  the  two  middle  feathers  banded,  the  3 
lateral  ones  always  of  a  single  color.  —  The  colors  of  individuals 
extremely  variable.  —  The  male  in  summer,  furnished  with  a  ruff 
of  long  feathers  on  the  occiput  and  sides  of  the  throat,  and  with 
the  face  naked  and  warty.  —  Female,  young,  and  autumnal  mule, 
without  the  ruff. 

The  RufF,  no  less  than  the  family  of  Sandpipers,  with 
which  it  is  associated  in  the  systems,  is  almost  equally  given 
to  wandering,  being  found,  according  to  the  season,  dispersed 
in  flocks  throughout  the  principal  parts  of  the  cold  and 
temperate  climates  of  the  northern  hemisphere.     In  spring 


w 


THE   BJOFr. 


131 


I 


they  arrive  in  great  numbers  on  the  coasts  of  Holland,  Ger- 
many, Flanders  and  England ;  they  are  equally  abundant 
in  Sweden,  occur  in  Denmark,  Norway,  Finmark  and  Ice- 
land, and  breed  in  the  great  desolate  marshes  of  Siberia 
and  Lapland,  as  well  as  in  milder  latitudes.  According  to 
Skioldebrand,*  at  Uleaborg,  the  capital  of  Ostrobothnia, 
they  arrive  in  the  spring,  in  such  vast  flocks,  as  almost  to 
obscure  the  heavens,  and  resting  on  the  floating  ice,  or  on 
the  banks  of  the  rivers,  fill  the  air  with  their  confused 
crier ;  and  the  Ruffs,  contending  for  their  mates,  appear 
like  a  pigmy  army  of  pugilists.  My  friend  Mr.  Cooper, 
about  three  years  ago,  obtained  a  specimen  of  the  RufT, 
from  the  shores  of  Long  Island.  From  the  rarity  of  this 
occurrence,  we  can  only  consider  the  Ruff,  on  the  Ameri- 
can coasts,  as  an  accidental  straggler ;  and  their  visits  are 
probably  more  common  on  the  western  than  the  eastern 
side  of  the  continent.  ■" 

The  Ruffs,  like  most  of  the  birds,  bred  in  high  boreal 
latitudes,  are  under  the  necessity  of  migrating  to  milder 
climates,  at  the  approach  of  winter.  These  northern  hosts 
therefore  now  spread  themselves  over  Europe,  and  the  con- 
tiguous continents,  until  the  return  of  spring  invites  them 
again  to  revisit  the  north.  Different  from  the  birds  of  the 
preceding  section  of  this  genus,  the  breeding  limits  of  the 
Ruff  extend  from  the  marshes  of  England  and  Holland,  to 
the  confines  of  the  arctic  circle,  and  while  the  map*?  of  the 
species  are  driven  by  the  vicissitudes  of  the  seasons  to  per- 
form extensive  migrations  for  the  means  of  support,  others, 
residing  in  milder  climes,  scarcely  proceed  further,  in  the 
course  of  the  winter,  than  to  the  sea  coasts  in  the  vicinity 
of  their  native  marshes.  At  any  rate,  it  appears  certain, 
that  the  Ruff,  unlike  the  Sandpiper,  never  wanders  into 

*  Skioldebrand^s  Picturesque  Voyage  to  Cape  North,  p.  15.  (French  edition.) 


132 


WADUVO   BIRDS. 


u 


tropical  climates.  Come  from  where  they  may,  they  appear 
again  in  the  eastern  parts  of  Great  Britain,  to  which  their 
visits  in  that  kingdon  are  now  wholly  confined,  about  the 
latter  end  of  April,  resorting  to  the  fens  of  Lincolnshire, 
the  Isle  of  Ely,  and  a  few  other  places,  which  suit  their 
pv?culiar  habits. 

Ifi  the  month  of  May,  the  male,  besides  the  red  and  ca- 
runculated  face,  acquires  the  curious  and  ornamental  Ruff, 
which  characterizes  the  breeding  season.  It  is  scarcely 
completed  in  this  month,  and  begins  to  fall  in  the  latter  end 
of  June.  With  this  singular  decoration,  he  also  undergoes 
a  complete  change  in  the  rest  of  his  plumage,  the  colors 
are  more  gay  and  brilliant ;  there  is  then  a  predominance 
of  rufous  and  purple  tints  among  the  others,  and  the  plain 
and  sombre  livery  of  winter  is  laid  aside.  Full  of  ardor 
and  jealousy,  the  polygamous  Ruffs  now  seek  out  the  com- 
pany of  the  Reeves,  and  when  they  have  chosen  a  breeding 
place,  the  males,  so  remarkable  for  their  irritability,  assem- 
ble upon  some  contiguous  rising  spot  of  ground,  where,  like 
so  many  professed  duellists,  erecting  the  ruff  in  a  threaten- 
ing attitude,  they  take  their  stand  at  a  small  distance  from 
each  other,  and  in  their  sight,  combat  for  the  society  of  their 
favorite  females.  This  resort  for  amorous  combat,  is  at 
length  so  trodden,  that  the  turf  appears  bare,  and  this  battle 
field  thus  betrays  its  company  to  their  general  enemy  the 
fowler.  The  Ruffs  feed  chiefly  by  night,  repairing  to  the 
hill  of  contest  about  the  dav/n  of  day,  and  so  pugnacious 
are  they  at  this  time,  that  they  will  oflen  leap  or  flirt  a  yard 
from  the  ground,  towards  some  wanderer  or  company  who 
happen  to  be  passing  by ;  and  an  imitation  of  this  hostile 
attitude,  by  a  rudely  stuffed  bird  jerked  at  the  end  of  a  long 
string,  is  oflen  sufficient  to  decoy  the  passengers  to  alight 
in  the  snare.  The  pugnacious  disposition  of  the  Ruff,  ac- 
cording to  Mr.  Baillon,  is  exhibited  as  soon  as  they  appear 


THE    RUFF. 


133 


in  April,  and  before  their  arrival  at  their  breeding  place. 
In  the  marshes  of  Montreuil-sur-Mer,  where  he  had  often 
occasion  to  follow  them,  he  re^iaf  Rs,  that  their  first  object  is 
to  pair,  or  rather  to  fight  with  their  rivals,  while  the  feeble 
screams  of  the  females  rouse  and  exaspei..ie  their  hostility, 
and  their  battles  are  often  long,  obstinate,  and  sometimes 
bloody.  The  vanquished  betakes  himself  to  flight,  but  the 
cry  of  the  first  female  he  hears,  dispels  his  fears,  and  re- 
awakens his  courage,  and  he  renews  the  conflict  if  another 
opponent  appears.  These  skirmishes  are  repeated  every 
morning  and  evening  till  their  departure,  in  May. 

As  soon  as  the  Reeves  begin  to  lay,  both  those  and  their 
mates  lay  aside  their  wildness  and  desire  of  hostility,  so 
that  the  whole  may  be  caught  with  little  effort.  As  the 
attachment  of  the  females  to  their  charge  increases,  with 
the  progress  of  incubation,  they  become  still  more  embold- 
ened in  its  defence.  At  length,  the  period  of  excitement 
subsiding,  the  males,  dropping  their  nuptial  plumage,  sink 
into  tame  and  undistinguishable  wanderers,  and  seceding 
from  the  Reeves  and  their  brood,  depart  to  their  hyberdal 
seclusion,  in  some  distant  country.  -   - 

The  females,  associated  in  numbers,  commence  laying 
about  the  first  or  second  week  in  May,  and  the  young  appear 
ea/ly  in  June.  The  nest  is  formed  of  grass,  in  a  tussock 
of  the  same,  in  the  most  swampy  part  of  the  marsh.  The 
eggs,  4  in  number,  very  like  those  of  the  snipe,  as  well  as 
the  nest,  are  however  larger,  of  a  pale  greenish  hue,  with 
a  great  number  of  small  spots  and  points  of  dusky,  and 
brown.  The  Reeve  is  so  remarkably  attached  to  her  eggs, 
that  after  being  caught  on  the  nest  and  carried  some  distance, 
on  being  liberated,  she  went  again  to  her  eggs,  as  if  nothing 
had  molested  her.  Indeed  the  attachment  and  courage  of 
the  female  for  her  young,  seems  scarcely  less  remarkable 
than  the  pugnaceous  valor  of  the  RuiT. 
12 


134 


WADINO   DinDS. 


The  RufTs,  esteemed  as  a  mof>l  delicate  game,  are  so  much 
sought  afler  in  England,  as  to  be  almost  exterminated  from 
many  of  their  native  marshes,  and  sell,  when  fattened  artifi- 
cially, at  from  30  shillings  to  two  guineas  the  dozen.     They 
are  usually  taken  in  large  clap-nets,  erected  over  the  mounds 
that  the  RufTs  have  selected  for  their  daily  combats.     The 
fowler  repairing  to  the  spot  before  day-light,  spreads  his 
net,  places  his  decoy  birds,  (which  are  either  real  prisoners 
of  the  species,  or  rudely  stuffed  skins,)  and  takes  his  stand 
at  the  distance  of  about  one  hundred  and  forty  yards,  or 
more,  according  to  the  shyness  of  the  birds.     The  net  sus- 
pended by  poles,  and  commanded  by  a  rope  and  pulleys,  is 
at  length  pulled  over  its  victims,  and  seldom  fails  of  secur- 
ing all  within  its  reach.  Although  their  natural  food  consists 
of  worms,  and  insects  of  the  marshes  where  they  dwell, 
when  confined  they  are  fed  and  fattened  on  milk  and  soaked 
bread,  hempseed,  sometimes  boiled  wheat,  and  to  hasten  the 
process  sugar  is  frequently  added  to  the  rest  of  their  fare. 
As  soon  as  sufficiently  fattened,  they  are  killed  and  dressed 
in  the  manner  of  Woodcocks.     If  this  unnatural  fare  be 
long  continued,  they  sicken  and  pine  away,  as  it  were  by 
the  surfeit  of  gluttony.     It  is  a  curious  fact,  related  of  the 
Curlew,  (Numenius  arquata,)  by  Rennie,  that  when  fed 
on  worms,  thrown  into  milk,  to  accustom  him  to  the  unnatural 
and  fattening  diet  of  the  Ruff,  he  for  some  time,  took  out 
the  worms  and  carefully  washed  them  in  water,  before  he 
would  consent  to  swallow  them 

The  RuiT  is  about  12  inches  in  length.  In  its  autumnal  and  winter 
plumage,  the  face  is  covered  with  feathers ;  and  the  occif  at  and  neck 
clothed  with  short  plumes.  The  throat,  fore  part  of  the  neck,  belly, 
and  other  lower  parts  white.  Breast  rufous,  with  dark  brown  spots. 
The  upper  plumage,  usually  brown,  covered  with  black  spots,  with 
rufous  borders.  The  longest  wing  coverts,  and  tlie  middle  feathers 
of  the  tail  banded  with  brown,  black,  and  rufous.  Bill  long,  and 
brownish.    Legs  and  feet  yellowish,  tinted  with  greenish,  brown,  or 


k 


/^r' 


THE   RUFF. 


mw 


ld5 


^ 


reddish.  Iri»  brown. — Male.  The  female  ia  one  third  smaller,  the 
plumage  more  cinereous,  and  the  fore  part  of  the  neck  is  rarely  pure 
white.  The  bill  black.  The  feet  darker.  —  Tringa  variegata,  Brunit. 
Orn.  Boreal,  p.  54. 

Summer  and  nuptial  plumage  of  the  mtile.  With  the  face  naked, 
and  covered  with  yellow  or  red  warts.  The  occiput  decorated  with 
long  feathers ;  a  large  ruff  composed  of  a  range  of  showy  feathers 
ornaments  the  throat.  These  long  feathers  are  ordinarily  contrasted 
with  the  rest  of  the  plumage ;  which  is  usually  varied  with  rufous, 
cinereous,  black,  brown,  white,  and  yellowish ;  the  feathers  of  the 
ruff  arc  also  almost  infinitely  varied.  The  bill  yellowish-orange. 
The  ruff  varies  in  size  according  to  the  age  of  individuals.  The 
female  or  Reeve,  is  destitute  of  the  ruff.  At  this  season,  the  upper 
parts  are  of  a  cinereous  brown,  mingled  with  some  feathers  of  a 
black,  with  reflections  like  polished  steel.  Throat  and  breast  the 
lame,  but  paler.  The  vent  and  belly  white.  Bill  black.  Legs  and 
ftet  yellowish  or  greenish. 

The  young  of  the  year,  have  a  near  resemblance  to  the  females  in 
vnnte-i  dress,  but  the  tints  of  the  fore  part  of  the  neck  and  breast  are 
of  a  dull  rufous-ash.  The  feathers  of  the  head,  back,  scapulars, 
and  largr  wing  coverts  are  biackish-brown,  with  wide  rufous  and 
yellowish  borders:  'esser  wing  coverts  edged  with  rufous  white. 
Throat,  vent,  and  abdomen  pure  white.  Bill  black.  Legs  greenish. 
It  is  then,  Tringa  littorea,  Gmel.  Lath.  T.  grenovicensis,  Ib.  Tota- 
nus  cinereus,  Briss.  Le  Chevalier  varii,  Buff.  Ois.  vii.  p.  507.  Fl. 
JGnlum,  300.     Gambetta  tale,  Storr.  deg.  ucc.  v.  p.  465.  , 


m^'' 


Subgenus.  —  *Heteropoda. 


rurf 


With  the  bill  straight,  rather  enlarged  and  punctate  at  the  ex- 
tremity :  the  tarsus  of  moderate  length,  and  the  3  anterior  toes  all 
connected  at  base  by  a  membrane,  the  outer  to  the  middle  toe  as  far 
as  the  first  articulation.  —  Peculiar  to  America.  > ,,  , 


^^t*) 


lit 


■t  «. 


4I.H- 


Ui 


ij^ii 


w 


136 


WAOINO    BIRDS. 


V 


*!l^ 


SEMTPALMATED  SANDPIPER. 


(Tringa  temipahnata,  Witsoic,  vii.  p.  131.  pi.  63.  fig.  4.  [young.] 
BoNAP.  Sjrnopq.  No.  24G.  Richardson,  Nortli.  Zool.  ii.  p.  3til.  Phil. 
Museum.  No.  4023.) 

Bp.  Charact.  —  Bill  shorter  than  the  head,  straight,  somewhat 
Qopressed  and  enlarged  towards  the  point ;  rump  blackish  ;  mid- 
dle tail  feathers  longest.  —  Summer  plumage  varied  with  black- 
ijh,  olive-grey  and  pale  rufous ;  beneath,  except  the  breast,  white  j 
Winter  dress,  dark  cinereous,  beneath  principally  white. 

Ob 8.      Scarcely   distinguishable   from    T.  IVitsonii,  or  the  Peep, 
except  by  the  feet,  bill,  and  greyer  color  of  the  summer  plumage. 

Commonly  associated  with  other  species  of  the  same 
size,  plumage,  and  habits,  it  is  not  easy  to  offer  any  remark 
concerning  it  which  can  be  considered  as  exclusive.  It  is 
spread  equally  over  the  North  American  continent,  from 
the  confines  of  the  arctic  circle,  probably  to  the  West  Indies. 
According  to  Wilson  it  arrives  and  departs  with  the  Sander- 
ling,  and  associates  with  the  Dunlin,  when  in  its  autumnal 
dress,  in  this  case  forming  flocks  apart  from  each  other ;  but 
with  the  Peep  they  are  sometimes  so  blended  as  to  be  unknown 
till  brought  to  the  ground.  Many,  like  the  other  species,  take 
even  an  interior  route,  towards  their  winter  retreats,  and  are 
consequently  seen  on  the  shores  of  the  great  inland  lakes  of 
the  St.  Lawrence.  Wilson  saw  a  flock  of  them  in  Septem- 
ber, in  Burlington  Bay,  on  Lake  Champlain.  In  the  salt 
marshes  near  Boston,  they  are  not  uncommon  in  small  num- 
bers, but  some  seasons  are  seen  whirling  about  wildly  in 
large  and  separate  flocks,  and  so  timorous  and  roving  as  to 
give  the  alarm  to  the  other  larger  birds  associated  around 
them.  Along  the  shores  of  New  Jersey,  they  are  numerous ; 
and  Mr.  Hutchins,  who  described  this  species,  without  pub- 
lishiiig  it,  as  early  as  the  year  1770,  says,  that  they  arrive  at 
Severn  river,  in  the  fur  countries,  in  great  numbers  about 


\^ 


BIMIPALMATBO   tANDPIPgR, 


137 


the  middle  of  May,  and  make  a  nest  of  withered  grass, 
early  in  June,  laying  4  or  5  white  eggs,  spotted  with  black 
or  dusky  brown.  Towards  autumn,  it  utters  a  chirping  call, 
and  in  September  they  retire  to  the  southward,  soon  after 
which  they  are  seen  in  Massachusetts,  on  most  of  the  mud- 
dy shores,  which  they  frequent  at  the  recess  of  the  tide, 
dwelling  more  exclusively  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
ocean  than  the  Peep.  When  dispersed  or  alarmed  they 
give  a  quailing  call,  like  *to-weet,  'to-toeet.  At  other  times, 
when  startled,  they  utter  a  shrill  clattering  whistle,  and  are 
always  noisy  and  querulous.  Like  the  small  land  birds  they 
may  sometimes  be  seen  washing  themselves,  with  great  sat- 
isfaction, in  the  salt  pools  and  plashes,  and  when  woun- 
ded swim  with  considerable  vigor.  While  here  they  feed 
upon  diminutive  coleoptera,  very  small  shrimps,  minute 
shell-fish,  which  they  probe  out  of  the  sand,  some  molusca, 
and  occasionally  the  roots  of  the  Zostera  marina  ;  they  also 
swallow  considerable  quantities  of  small  gravel,  and  becom- 
ing very  fat,  are  nearly  as  well  flavored  as  the  Snipe,  being 
very  superior  to  the  other  small  species. 

The  length  of  the  Scmipalmated  Sandpiper  is  from  5^^  to  6j^  inches ; 
the  alar  extent  10  to  12.  Bill  black,  from  |  to  an  inch  long,  thick 
at  the  base,  the  ridge  of  the  upper  mandible  flattened  towards  its 
extremity;  the  tip  somewhat  enlarged,  and  distinctly  pitted,  as  in 
the  Snipe.  Crown  and  body  above  dusky-brown,  the  feathers  edged 
with  very  pale  rufous,  and  olive-grey,  inclining  often  to  white. 
Front,  line  over  the  eye,  and  the  sides  of  the  neck  grey.  Tail  and 
wings  nearly  of  an  equal  length  when  folded.  Primaries  dusky- 
brown,  the  outermost  shafted  with  white,  the  greater  coverts  tip- 
ped with  white,  sides  of  the  rump  white.  Tertiaries  almost  en- 
tirely the  length  of  the  wings.  Beneath  wholly  white,  except  the 
breast  and  front  of  the  neck,  which  is  greyish  and  streaked  with 
a  few  dusky  pointed  spots.  Legs  and  feet  very  dusky-olive.  Wil- 
son's figure  represents  a  young  bird,  though  I  have  never  seen  one 
wholly  white  below.  —  Winter  plumage  brownish-grey ;  beneath 
white,  spots  on  the  breast  fainter. 

12* 


138 


.m' 


WADINO   BIRDS.    ma< 


i.T  «.»,-: 


lil>js.[«i 


STILT-LEGGED  SANDPIPERS. 


Subgenus.  —  Hemipalma,    (Bonap.) 


?5B'» 


With  the  bill  much  longer  than  the  head,  and  partly  arched,  di« 
lated  and  studded  with  minute  tubercles  at  tip.  Feet,  the  tarsus 
very  long,  and  the  3  anterior  toes  usually  connected  by  a  membrane 
as  far  as  the  first  articulation. 

Probably  a  genus,  peculiar  to  America,  consisting  of  about  3  species,' 
for  the  most  part  residing  within  the  high  boreal  latitudes.  In  the 
length,  curvature  of  the  bill,  and  peculiar  markings  of  the  plumage, 
these  birds  appear  to  be  intermediately  allied  to  the  Curlew  (J^um^ 
nius)  and  RufF,  (Machetes) ;  but  their  long  and  very  naked  legs, 
and  partly  palmated  feet  are  wholly  distinct  from  either.  In  their 
habits  and  manners  they  agree  generally  with  the  ordinary  Sand- 
pipers, but  the  tumid  and  sensitive  extremity  of  the  bill,  as  in  the 
Snipes,  indicates  a  greater  delicacy  in  the  selection  of  their  food, 
which  is  very  probably  often  worms  and  moluscous  animals. 


LONG  LEGGED  SANDPIPER. 


(Tringahimantopus,  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  245.  et  Am.  Orn.  iv.  p.  89. 

pi.  25.  fig.  3.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Below  whitish,  banded  with  dusky-brown ;  tarsus 
about  the  length  of  the  bill ;  tail  somewhat  doubly  notched ;  au- 
riculars  pale  ferruginous  ;  rump  banded  with  black  and  white ;  tail 
grey,  without  bands,  the  middle  feathers  longest ;  legs  very  long 
and  black,  webs  of  the  toes  equal.  —  Winter  plumage  unknown. 

The  discovery  of  this  very  singular  bird  is  due  to  the  Prince 
of  Musignano,  and  Mr.  Cooper,  who,  in  the  month  of  July, 
met  with  a  flock  of  them  flying,  near  a  small  fresh  water 
pond  at  Long  Branch.  The  only  second  specimen,  as  yet 
obtained,  was  one  shot  in  the  month  of  May,  on  the  south 
shore  of  Long  Island,  in  the  possession  of  the  latter  gentle- 
man.    The  discovery  of  a  bird  of  this  kind,  decidedly,  as 


w 


LONG   LEOOED   SANDPIPER. 


180 


we  believe,  a  summer  resident  in  the  high  boreal  latitudes, 
at  this  season  of  the  year,  can  only  be  accounted  for  on 
the  supposition  of  their  being  driven  south  by  some  storm 
or  uncommon  spell  of  severe  and  cold  weather,  as  they 
could  not  have  bred,  at  so  early  a  period  of  the  summer.  They 
might  probably,  however,  have  been  barren  birds,  who  had 
never  proceeded  to  the  north  that  season.  In  the  month  of 
May,  it  is  easy  to  suppose  the  occurrence  of  a  straggler  on 
the  way  to  its  natal  regions. 

The  length  of  this  species  is  about  9^  inches.  The  bill  black, 
subarched,  about  1  inch  and  8  lines  long.  Wings  5J^  inches  long. 
The  crown  grey,  mixed  with  whitish  and  blackish,  the  feathers  with 
slight  ferruginous  margins.  A  broad  whitish  line  over  the  eye ;  lores 
dusky ;  auriculars  pale  rust  color.  The  neck  above  and  its  sides 
mixed  with  whitish.  Back  and  scapulars  brownish  black,  tipt  with 
grey,  and  marked  with  pale  rusty.  Rump  grey,  the  upper  tail  coverts 
white,  with  black  bands.  Throat  soiled  white,  faintly  dotted  with 
blackish.  Under  plumage,  including  the  tail  coverts  whitish,  each 
feather  banded  with  blackish,  with  one  of  the  bands  terminal.  Wing 
coverts  dusky -brown,  with  paler  margins  j  the  under  coverts  marbled 
with  dusky-brown  and  whitish.  Primaries  blackish-brown,  shaft  of 
.  the  first  white ;  secondaries  pale  dusky,  edged  with  whitish.  Tail 
grey,  even,  2  inches  long,  the  2  middle  feathers  projecting  beyond 
the  rest ;  the  outer  on  each  side  is  also  somewhat  longer  than  the 
others ;  the  whole  are  pale  dusky  with  white  shails,  the  white  spread- 
ing somewhat  along  the  middle,  but  particularly  at  the  base,  where 
all  the  feathers,  but  the  middle  ones,  are  white,  as  well  as  the  2  outer 
likewise  on  the  greater  part  of  their  inner  vanes.  The  feet  black  ; 
legs  very  long :  naked  space  on  the  tibia  1|  inches.  Tarsus  1|  inches. 
Middle  toe  about  an  inch,  nearly,  without  the  nail.  All  the  fore  toes 
are  equally  half-webbed. 


as 


Kl.    , 

.;«.Vv.''<'--;-,f 

."'-■ 

,;.fe 

-     '■•■  ' 

'  "-''J.^ 

, ;  '  >    .    . 

'■     ..*:.'.*  '«-■ 

■_••      ■   -■*    *. 

:     ■■«■    ■    -''fi  AilV 
•      .! •  ■:.    "'j 


140 


^"       WADING   BIRDS.    '*^  " 

AUDUBON'S  STILT  SANDPIPER. 


W 


(Tringa^Avdubomi.    T.  himantopua  f   Richardson  and  Swainson, 

North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  380.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Below  brownish-grey,  and  without  spots  or  bahi ; 
tarsus  wax-yel]ow,  longer  than  the  bill;  lateral  tail  feathers  equal, 
all  without  bars ;  tail  coverts  spotted ;  webs  of  the  toes  equal  with 
each  other. —  Winter  plumage  naknovin.. 

According  to  Dr.  Richardson,  this  species  was  not  un- 
common in  the  month  of  July,  on  the  flats  at  the  outlet  of 
Haye's  river,  in  the  fur  countries  of  Hudson's  Bay,  in  the 
latitude  of  57°,  where  no  doubt  they  breed,  and  probably 
pursue  an  inland  route  to  their  winter  quarters  in  the  warmer 
parts  of  the  continent.  We  have  ventured  to  consider  this 
bird  as  a  distinct  species  from  the  preceding,  according  to 
the  description  given  of  it  by  Dr.  Richardson,  and  as  such, 
feel  gratified  in  having  the  opportunity  of  dedicating  it  to 
the  memory  of  the  indefatigable  Audubon  whose  services 
in  illustrating  the  Ornithology  of  North  America  have  been 
so  preeminent.         -  ;  ..-\"=-i-^'-  -•-■'■i  ■•'^«'  -■  :.■:;-., ^  'r:^*";-' ' 

Length  of  the  species  9^  inches ;  of  the  bill  1  inch  8  lines.  Alar 
extent  17  inches.  The  length  of  the  thigh,  tarsus  and  toes  together 
5^  inches  (being  fully  an  inch  more  than  in  the  same  parts  of  T. 
Douglasii.)  Summit  of  the  head,  dorsal  plumage,  and  lesser  wing 
coverts  black,  edged  with  rufous  and  brownish  white.  Neck  grey. 
Primaries,  and  central  tail  feathers,  clove-brown ;  lateral  tail  feathers, 
psde  hair-brown ;  shafts  of  the  primaries,  margins  of  the  secondaries, 
and  of  the  lateral  tail  feathers,  and  stripes  on  the  shafts  of  the  latter 
whitish.  Tail  coverts,  greyish  white,  with  a  few  brown  spots. 
Breast,  brownish-grey ;  belly  brownish- white.  Inner  wmg  coverts, 
smoke-grey  and  white.  Legs  wax-yellow.  Bill  black,  much  com- 
pressed at  the  base ;  its  ridge  rounded  for  two-thirds  of  its  length, 
where  it  is  depressed  or  flattened,  its  width  being  slightly  increased 
dose  to  the  point.  The  ends  of  both  mandibles,  closely  studded 
with  minute,  smooth,  sofl,  flattened  tubercles,  like  polished  shagreen. 
Central  tail  feathers,  exceeding  the  others  a  little  in  length.  Lateral 
toes  equal.  Webs  of  the  toes  both  nearly  or  quite  equal  with  each 
other,  extending  so  far  as  to  include  the  first  phalanx  <^ 


W 


.i|*f»'*'r  f'^'-ft'?!  '.cTr      .""■''   ' 


DOUGLAS'S  STILT  SANDPIPER. 

(Tringa  Douglasii,   Swainson  and  Richardson,  North.  Zool.  2.  p. 
379.  pi.  G6.  [adult  in  summer  plumagej.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Below  brownish- white, banded  with  dusky-brown ; 
tarsus  about  the  length  of  the  bill ;  tail  somewhat  doubly-notched ; 
ear  feathers  chestnut  colored  ;  rump  banded  with  black  and  white, 
and  the  middle  tail  feathers  with  ferruginous;  legs  long,  olive 
color,  the  inner  web  of  the  toes  smaller.  —  Winter  plumage  un- 
known. 

According  to  Dr.  Richardson,  this  species  is  not  uncom- 
mon in  the  fur  countries  of  Upper  Canada,  to  the  60th  par- 
allel, and  perhaps  still  further  north.  It  exhibits  the  usual 
habits  of  the  genus  Tringa,  frequents  the  interior  marshes 
in  the  breeding  season,  and  in  the  autumn  resorts  in  flocks 
to  the  flat  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay,  previous  to  taking  its 
departure  for  the  south.  "         _  ."[',' 

The  length  of  this  species  is  said  to  be  10  inches  3  lines ;  of  the 
bill  above  as  well  as  from  the  rictus  1  inch  7;^  lines :  the  tarsus  1 


r.^"riiaaigifc 


142 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


inch  7i  lines;  the  naked  thigh  1  inch  1  line.  The  length  of  the 
inner  web  which  connects  the  toes  2  lines,  but  that  of  the  outer  web, 
3i  lines  or  nearly  double.  —  In  the  adult  qf  summer,  the  top  of  the 
head,  scapulars,  interscapulars  and  tertials  blackish>brown,  edged 
round  the  tips  with  brownish-white  and  ferruginous.  Wing  coverts 
and  secondaries  hair-brown ;  the  latter,  together  with  their  greater 
coverts,  slightly  edged  with  white.  Primaries  blackish-brown; 
shafls  of  the  first,  and  of  the  secondaries  brownish-white.  Neck, 
rump,  tail  coverts,  and  whole  under  plumage,  brownish- white.  The 
chin,  sides  of  the  head  and  neck,  marked  with  central  spots  or  streaks 
of  liver-brown,  largest  on  the  back  of  the  neck ;  the  rump,  tail 
coverts,  and  under  plumage  barred  with  the  same,  more  distinctly  on 
the  flanks,  and  most  imperfectly  on  the  middle  of  the  belly.  Chest- 
nut colored  bands  on  the  lores,  above  the  eye,  and  on  the  ears.  Cen- 
tral pair  of  tail  feathers  blackish-brown,  striped,  tipped,  and  barred 
with  ferruginous :  lateral  tail  feathers  broccoli-brown,  striped  on  the 
shafts  and  inner  webs  with  white.  Bill  black,  long  and  slender, 
moderately  high  at  th.  oase,  slightly  arched  towards  the  point,  which 
is  depressed,  conspicuously  dilated,  and  minutely  pitted  when  dry. 
Fore  toes  webbed ;  the  inner  web  smallest,  being  half  the  length  of 
the  first  joint  of  the  inner  toe.  -,..,,. 


; 


TOTANUS.    (Bechst.  Temm.) 

In  these  birds,  so  nearly  related  to  the  Snipes  and  Sandpipers,  the 
SILL  is  of  moderate  length,  straight,  or  a  little  recurved,  flexible  at 
base,  compressed  throughout  its  whole  length,  hard,  acute,  a  little 
curved  at  the  point,  and  with  both  mandibles  furrowed  each  side  to 
the  middle.  Nostrils  in  the  furrows,  basal,  lateral,  linear,  pervious. 
Feet  4-toed ;  tarsus  long  and  slender ;  a  considerable  naked  space 
above  the  knee ;  outer  toe  united  to  the  middle  one  by  a  membrane  as 
far  as  the  first,  and  sometimes  to  the  second  joint ;  hind  toe  short, 
slender,  much  elevated,  touching  the  ground  at  tip.  Wings,  when 
folded,  about  as  long  as  the  tail ;  the  1st  primary  longest.  Tail,  gen- 
erally  short,  composed  of  12  feathers. 

The  plumage  of  the  sexes  is  alike,  but  the  female  is  somewhat 
larger.  The  young  diflTer  little  from  the  adult  in  its  winter  livery. 
They  moult  twice  in  the  year ;  the  summer  and  winter  plumage 


WILLET. 


143 


often  differing  merely  in  the  distribution  of  the  spots  and  stripea 
with  which  it  is  varied ;  frequently,  only  in  the  parity  of  its  shades 
in  summer  compared  with  that  of  winter. 

The  birds  of  this  genus  (Chevaliers  of  the  French)  like  the  pre- 
ceding, to  which  they  are  intimately  allied,  associate  in  flocks,  though 
some  species  appear  inclined  to  lead  a  solitary  life.  They  generally 
prefer  the  borders  of  lakes,  rivers,  and  fresh  water  marshes,  to  the 
immediate  precincts  of  the  sea,  or  only  visit  the  strand  in  a  desul- 
tory  manner ;  they  also  wade  deeply,  for  which  they  are  provided 
with  very  long  legs.  They  feed  on  insects,  worms,  small  shell-fish, 
and  moluscouB  animals,  which  they  oflen  seek  on  dry  ground,  or  on 
tlie  gravelly  banks  of  rivers,  by  means  of  their  hard,  pinching,  and 
less  sensitive  bills.  They  migrate  periodically  with  the  season  of  the 
year,  but  usually  inhabit  more  temperate  regions  than  the  true  Sand- 
pipers, and  commonly  breed  in  numbers  together  in  the  same  mea- 
dow or  marsh.  They  are  spread  all  over  the  earth,  even  some  of  the 
same  species  are  cosmopolites.  Like  the  preceding,  the  races  resem- 
ble each  other  so  much  as  to  render  distinctions  sometimes  ambigu- 
ous. In  addition  to  their  othei  afiinities,  they  are  closely  allied  to 
the  Snipe  and  the  Godwit,  and  particularly  to  Tringa  by  the  Ruff. 


Subgenus.  —  Catoptrophorus,  (Bonap.) 

With  the  bill  straight,  stout,  solid  almost  its  whole  length,  fur- 
rowed only  at  the  base,  the  groove  of  the  lower  mandible  obliterated. 
The  fore  toes  all  connected  at  base  by  a  membrane.  —  The  female  is 
conspicuously  larger.  These  birds  not  only  wade,  but  occasionally 
swim. 


%i-m 


II    I  rn  ■-'-^niiif'ii'"^ 


n 


SEMIPALMAl'ED  SNIPE,  or  WILLET. 

(Totanus semipalmattis,  TsjAvi.  Bonap.  Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p. 
388.  pi.  67.  Scolopax  semipalmata,  Ghel.  Lath.  Wilson,  vii.  p. 
S7.  pi.  56.  fig.  3.  [summer  dress.]  Glottis  semipalmata,  Nils.  Orn. 
Suec.  ii.  p.  55.     Phil.  Museum,  No.  3942.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Rump  white;  lower  wing  coverts  black ;  quills 
white  for  two-thirds  of  their  length  from  the  base.  —  Summer  plum- 
age, pale  brownish,  varied  with  black  and  whitish ;  beneath  white, 
spotted  with  dusky.  Winter  dress,  ashy-brown,  beneath  princi- 
pally white. 

The  Willet,  as  this  well  known  and  large  species  is  called, 
inhabits  almost  every  part  of  the  United  States,  from  the 
coast  of  Florida  to  the  distant  shores  and  saline  lakes  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  Saskatchewan,  up  to  the  56th  parallel  of 
latitude,  where,  as  they  pass  the  summer,  they  no  doubt 
propagate  there,  as  well  as  in  the  Middle  States  of  the 
Union.  Their  appearance  in  the  north  of  Europe,  is 
merely  accidental,  like  the  visit  of  the  Ruff  in  America, 
which  has,  indeed,  no  better  claim  in  our  Fauna,  than  that 
of  the  Willet  in  Europe,  both  being  stragglers  from  their 


ftEMIPALMATED   SNIl>E,   OU  WILLET. 


145 


pnnci- 

[alled, 
the 
les  in 
[lei  of 
Idoubt 
)f  the 
is 


native  abodes  and  ordinary  migrating  circuits.  From  the 
scarcity  of  this  species  on  the  shores  of  Massachusetts  Bay, 
it  is  more  than  probaUe,  that  their  northern  migrations  are 
made  chiefly  up  the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi ;  and 
they  have  been  seen,  in  the  spring,  by  Mr.  Say,  near  En- 
gineer Cantonment  the  bank  of  the  Missour'.  A  few 
straggling  fan  -s  o»  cks  of  the  young,  o  occasionally 
seen,  about  the  middle  of  August,  on  the  muddy  flats  of 
Cohasset  beach ;  but  they  never  breed  in  this  part  of  New 
England,  though  nests  are  found  in  the  vicinity  of  New 
Bedford.  '• 

The  Willet  probably  passes  the  winter  within  the  tropics, 
or  along  the  extensive  shores  of  the  Mexican  Gulf.  About 
the  middle  of  March,  however,  their  lively  vociferations  of 
pilUwill-wiUet,  pill-will-ioillet,  begin  commonly  to  be  heard 
in  all  the  marshes  of  the  sea  islands  of  Georgia  and  South 
Carolina.  In  the  Middle  States  they  arrive  about  the  15th  of 
April,  or  sometimes  later,  according  to  the  season;  and, 
from  that  period  to  the  close  of  July,  their  loud  and  shrill 
cries,  audible  for  half  a  mtie,  are  heard  incessaiidy  through- 
out the  marshes  where  they  now  reside.  Towards  the  close 
of  May,  the  Willets  begin  to  lay.  Their  nests,  at  some 
distance  from  the  strand,  are  made  in  the  sedge  of  the  salt 
meadows,  composed  of  wet  rushes  and  coarse  grass  placed 
in  a  slight  excavation  in  the  tump ;  and  during  the  period 
of  incubation,  as  with  some  other  marsh  birds,  the  sides  of 
the  nest  are  gradually  raised  to  the  height  of  five  or  six 
inches.  The  eggs  about  4,  are  very  thick  at  the  larger  end, 
and  tapering  at  the  opposite,  two-thirds  the  size  of  a  com- 
mon hen's  egg,  (measuring  over  2  inches  in  length,  by  1^  in 
the  greatest  breadth  J  they  are  of  a  pale  bright  greenish- 
olive  (sometimes  darker),  largely  blotched  and  touched  with 
irregular  spots  of  a  bright  blackish-brown  of  two  shades, 
mixed  with  a  few  other  smaller  touches  of  a  paler  tint,  the 
13 


KBftl 


t"l 


146 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


whole  most  numerous  at  the  great  end.  According  to 
Wilson,  the  eggs  are  very  palatable  as  food.  The  young 
covered  with  a  grey  colored  down,  run  off  as  soon  as  freed 
from  the  shell,  and  are  led  about  by  the  mother  in  quest  of 
their  proper  food,  while  the  vociferous  male  keeps  careful 
watch  for  their  safety.  On  entering  these  breeding  places, 
the  spectator  is  beset  by  the  Willets,  flying  wildly  around, 
and  skimming  over  his  head,  with  the  clamorous  cry  of  *piU- 
loill-willet,'  accompanied  at  times,  when  much  excited  and 
alarmed  by  an  approach  to  the  nest,  with  a  loud  clicking 
note,  in  the  manner  of  the  Avocet.  Exhausted  with  their 
vigilant  and  defensive  exertions,  at  times,  they  utter  a  sad 
and  plaintive  note,  and  occasionally  alighting,  slowly  close 
their  long,  silvery  and  particolored  wings,  as  if  acting  a  part 
to  solicit  compassion.  Among  their  most  common  and  pi- 
ratical enemies,  are  the  Crows,  who  roam  over  the  marshes 
in  quest  of  eggs,  and  as  soon  as  they  appear  are  attacked  by 
the  Willets  in  united  numbers,  who  with  loud  vociferations 
pursue  them  off  the  ground.  During  the  term  of  incuba- 
tion,  the  female,  fatigued  with  her  task,  and  occasionally 
leaving  her  eggs  to  the  influence  of  the  ardent  sun,  resorts 
to  the  shore,  and  deeply  wading,  washes  and  dresses  her  plu- 
mage, frequently  emerging,  and  performing  her  ablutions 
with  an  air  of  peculiar  satisfaction.  Indeed  the  Willets 
generally  wade  more  than  most  of  their  tribe ;  and  when 
disabled  from  flying  by  a  wound,  they  take  to  the  water 
without  hesitation,  and  swim  with  apparent  ease.  The 
peculiar  note  which  characterizes  and  gives  name  to  this 
remarkable  species  of  Chevalier,  is  only  uttered  by  the 
adults ;  and  the  call  of  the  young,  when  associated  by  them- 
selves, appears  to  be  a  kind  of  shrill  and  plaintive  whistle, 
almost  like  that  of  the  Curlew.  The  Willet  subsists  chiefly 
on  small  shell-flsh,  aquatic  insects,  their  larvse,  and  molusca, 
in  quest  of  which  it  constantly  resorts  to  the  muddy  shores 


r»   i 


SEMIPALMATED    SNIPE,    OR   WILLET. 


147 


to 


' 


and  estuaries  at  low  water.  In  the  fall,  when  the  flocks  of 
young  birds  associate  together,  which  may  be  easily  known 
by  the  greyness  of  their  plumage,  they  are  selected  by  the 
gunners  in  preference  to  the  older  and  darker  birds,  being 
tender,  fat,  and  fine-flavored  game.  In  the  months  of  Oc- 
tober and  November  they  gradually  pass  on  lo  their  winter 
quarters  in  the  warmer  parts  of  the  continent.  Transient 
flocks  of  the  young,  bred  in  higher  latitudes,  visit  the  shores 
of  Cohasset  by  the  middle  of  August,  but  timorous,  wild, 
and  wandering,  they  soon  hasten  to  rejoin  the  host  they 
had  accidentally  forsaken. 

The  length  of  the  Willet  is  about  ISJ  inches ;  length  of  the  bill  to 
the  rictus  2^  inches,  much  shorter  in  the  young  bird  of  the  season ; 
tarsus  2  inches  8  lines.  —  In  the  summer  plumage  the  general  color 
above  is  brownish-grey,  striped  faintly  on  the  neck,  more  con- 
spicuously on  the  head  and  back,  with  blackish-brown,  the  scapulars, 
tertiaries  and  their  coverts  irregularly  barred  with  the  same.  Tail 
coverts  white.  Tail  even,  whitish,  thickly  mottled  with  pJe  ashy- 
brown,  that  color  forming  the  ground  of  the  central  feathers,  which 
are  barred  with  dusky-brown  towards  their  extremities.  Spurious 
wing,  primary  coverts,  a  great  portion  of  the  anterior  extremities 
of  the  primaries,  the  axillary  feathers,  and  under  wing  coverts,  black, 
with  a  shade  of  brown ;  the  remaining  lower  and  longer  portion  of 
the  primaries,  and  the  upper  row  of  under  wing  coverts,  white ;  the 
posterior  primaries  tipt  with  the  same ;  secondaries  and  the  outer 
webs  of  their  greater  coverts,  white,  marbled  with  dusky.  Wings 
rather  longer  than  the  tail.  The  lores,  with  a  spotted  liver-brown 
streak,  bounded  above  by  a  spotted  white  one.  Eye-lids,  chin,  belly, 
and  vent,  white ;  the  rest  of  the  under  plumage  brownish-white, 
streaked  on  the  throat,  and  transversely  barred,  or  waved  on  the 
breast,  shoulders,  flanks,  and  under  tail  coverts,  with  clove-brown, 
the  bars  pointed  in  the  middle.  —  Female  colored  like  the  male,  but 
an  inch  longer.  Legs  and  feet  dark  lead  color,  the  soles  inclining  to 
olive ;  the  toes  broadly  margined  with  a  sort  of  continuation  of  the 
web.    Iri%  hazle. 

Winter  dress  with  fainter  spots  on  the  upper  pluniage,  and  with- 
out the  dark  waving  transverse  bars  below,  only  the  fore  part  of 
the  neck  and  byeast  of  a  cinereoue  tiijt  marked  with  small  brown 


;  \ 


148 


UTADiNo  birds; 


■treaks.  —  In  the  young  of  the  year  the  cinereous  tint  prevails  above, 
with  a  tint  of  hair-brown  on  the  aummit  of  the  head,  back  and  scap- 
ulars ;  the  spots  ill  defined,  and  wanting  about  the  head,  neck  and 
breast ;  the  two  latter  cinereous,  very  pale  on  the  sides  of  the  neck. 
Rump  ash ;  tail  coverts  white.  Scapulars  and  tertials  edged  with 
brownish-white  indented  spots,  with  indications  of  dusky-brown 
bars.     Below,  except  the  lower  part  of  the  neck,  wholly  white 


n 


Subgenus.  —  Totanus. 
Bu.L  slender,  hard,  furrowed  nearly  tu  the  middle.     Inner  toe  cleAi. 


TELL-TALE,  or  GREATER  YELLOW-SHANKS; 

(Totanus  vociferus,  Sabins.  T.  melanolcucus,  Vieill.  Bonap.  Syns. 
No.  260.  Scolopax  vociferus,  Wilson,  vii.  p.  57.  pi.  58.  fig.  5. 
[summer  dress.]  Spotted  Snipe,  Pennant,  Ar it.  Zool.  ii.  p.  467.  No. 
374.  Phil.  Museum,  No.  3940.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Blackish-brown,  spotted  with  black  and  white; 
rump  partly  white ;  tail  dusky  white,  b.\rved  with  brown ;  legs  and 
feet  yellow;  bill  black,  slightly  recurved  ;  tarsus  about  the  length 
of  the  bill.     Length  of  the  individual  about  14  inches. 

The  Greater  Yellow-Shanks  or  Tell-Tale,  so  remarkable 
for  its  noise  and  vigilance,  arrives  on  the  coast  of  the  Mid- 
dle States,  early  in  April,  and  proceeding  principally  by  an 
inland  route,  is  seen  in  abundance  as  far  north  as  the  plains 
of  the  Saskatchewan ;  where,  no  doubt,  in  those  desolate 
and  secluded  marshes,  far  from  the  prying  eye  and  persecu- 
ting hand  of  man,  the  principal  part  of  the  species,  pass 
the  period  of  reproduction,  reappearing  in  thfr  cooler  parts 
of  the  Union  towards  the  close  of  August  j  yet  so*  extensive 
is  the  breeding  range  of  the  Teil-Tale,  that  many  continue 
to  occupy  the  marshes  of  thQ  Middle  States,  until  the  apr 


i 


1 

r  , 


TBLL-TALE,    OR  GREATER   YELLOW-SHANKS. 


149 


proach  of  cold  weather,  in  the  month  of  November,  breed- 
ing in  their  favorite  resorts,  on  the  borders  of  bogs,  secur' 
ing  the  nest  in  a  tuft  of  rank  grass  or  sedge,  and  laying  4 
eggs,  of  a  dingy  white,  irregularly  marked  with  spots  of 
dark  brown  or  black,  and  which,  according  to  Mr.  Hutch- 
ins,  are  large  for  the  size  of  the  bird,  and  of  similar  mark- 
ings  in  their  northern  breeding  places.  In  Massachusetts, 
as  with  many  other  birds,  the  present  is  so  uncommon  a  spe- 
cies, that  it  may  be  considered  almost  as  a  straggler,  arriving 
in  autumn,  with  the  few  flocks,  who  touch  at  the  coast  of 
Labrador  and  Newfoundland,  confining  their  visits,  with 
Curlews,  Godwits,  and  many  other  wading  birds,  chiefly  to 
the  eastern  extremity  of  Cape  Cod  and  Cape  Ann,  where  mul- 
titudes of  these  birds  transiently  assemble,  in  spring  and  au- 
tumn, (particularly  in  the  vicinity  of  Chatham  and  Ipswich) 
and  of  which  but  few  penetrate  inland,  their  next  visit  being 
usually  to  the  shores  of  Long  Island  in  their  further  progress 
to  the  south.  In  the  spring,  however,  avoiding  the  long 
continued  eastwardly  storms  of  this  climate,  they  are  led 
to  go  inland  by  a  more  favorable  route  ;  and  have  been  seen 
at  this  season,  by  Mr.  Say,  on  the  banks  of  the  Missouri,  on 
their  way  to  the  interior  of  the  continent. 

The  vociferous  vigilance  of  the  Tell-Talc,  has  justly 
stigmatized  him  with  the  present  name,  for  no  sooner  does 
the  gunner  appear,  than  his  loud,  and  shrill  whistle  of  about 
four  rapidly  repeated  notes,  is  instantly  heard,  as  he  mounts 
on  wing,  and  proves  generally  so  good  a  warning  to  all 
the  rest  of  his  feathered  neighbors,  and  particularly  the  vig- 
ilant ducks,  that  the  whole,  to  the  frequent  disappointment 
of  the  fowler,  at  once  accompany  their  faithful  and  officious 
sentinel.  At  times,  indeed,  without  any  particular  motive 
to  excitement,  except  perhaps  that  of  hilarity  and  vigor, 
they  are  seen  to  rise  high  in  the  air,  chattering  so  loudly,  as 
still  to  be  heard  when  beyond  the  reach  of  the  eye.  From 
13* 


150 


WADINe   BIRDS. 


their  note  they  are  called  by  the  Cree  Indians  of  Hudson's 
Bay  Sasashew,  and  in  this  part  of  New  England,  they  arc 
usually  known  by  the  name  of  the  Winter  Yellow-Leg. 

The  Tcll-Tale,  after  taking  up  his  summer  residence  in 
the  marshes,  is  no  longer  gregarious,  until  the  return  of  win- 
ter ;  when,  with  the  addition  of  the  young,  they  rove  about  in 
small  parties  until  their  final  departure  for  the  south.  Like 
most  of  the  species,  they  frequent  watery  bogs,  and  the  mud- 
dy margins  of  creeks  and  inlets,  where  they  are  often  seen 
in  quest  of  food,  or  standing  in  a  watchful  posture,  alter- 
nately balancing  themselves,  raising  or  lowering  the  head 
and  tail,  and  on  the  least  appearance  of  danger  or  surprise, 
which  they  readily  perceive,  from  the  elevation  of  their  legs, 
and  the  open  places  in  which  they  feed,  their  loud  whistle 
is  instantly  heard,  and  the  timorous  and  less  watchful 
flocks  are  again  in  motion.  They  sometimes  penetrate, 
singly  or  in  small  numbers,  some  way  inland  along  the  mud- 
dy shores  of  estuaries  and  rivers  to  the  extent  of  tide  water. 
Although  they  live  principally  upon  the  insects  and  larvoB 
they  find  in  the  marshes,  at  a  later  period  they  also  pay  oc- 
casional visits  to  the  strand  in  quest  of  niolusca,  small 
shrimps,  and  minute  shell-fish,  the  ordinary  fare  of  the  true 
Sandpipers.  In  the  fall,  when  fat,  their  flesh  is  highly  es- 
teemed, and  they  are  frequently  brought  to  market. 

The  length  of  the  Tell-Tale  is  about  14  inches,  (the  female  about 
an  inch  and  a  half  longer.)  Bill  black,  the  length  2  inches  1  or  2 
lines  measured  from  above.  Tarsus  2  inches  6  to  8  lines.  The  legs 
wax-yellow  :  a  short  web  between  the  inner  and  middle  toes ;  outer 
web  deeply  sinuated ;  the  toes,  all  furnished  with  a  narrow  membrane- 
ous margin.  —  Upper  plumage  blackish-brown,  with  faint  violet 
reflections,  bordered  with  greyish-white  on  the  head,  neck,  rump, 
and  two  upper  rows  of  lesser  wing-coverts;  the  fore  part  of 
the  back,  scapulars,  lesser  quills,  intermediate  and  greater  cov- 
erts, marked  with  rather  large  marginal  whitish  spots.  Primaries 
tnd  their  coverts  blackish ;  shaft  of  the  first  quill  white.    Tail  barred 


■:  <■< 


SEMIPALMATED   SNIPE,   OR   WILLET. 


151 


alternately  with  duaky-brown  and  aoilcd  or  brownish- white,  the 
ground  of  the  under  feathers  being  nearly  pure  white.  Part  of  the 
upper  and  under  tail  coverts,  sides  of  tlie  rump,  and  under  plumage 
white.  The  neck  streaked  with  liver-brown ;  flanks,  under  wing  and 
tail  coverts,  barred  with  the  same ;  the  bars  on  the  latter  (probably 
females,)  nea.rly  obsolete  on  some  specimens.  The  breast  also  spar- 
ingly and  broadly  barred  with  duaky-brown.  The  lowest  row  of  tail 
coverts  barred  with  dusky-brown  and  white.  —  Jiutumnal  or  winter 
plumage  above  ashy-brown,  the  larger  feathers  (scapulars,  greater 
wing  coverts,  &o.)  inargnncd  with  rows  of  brownish-white  and 
dusky  snots,  on  the  lower  part  of  the  neck,  the  spots  small  and  al- 
most exclusively  greyish- white.  White  feathers  of  'he  breast  mi- 
nutely mottled  with  zig-zag  lines. —  Young  fenuUe  vm  summer  pit- 
mage.  Length  15j^  inches.  Bill  one  line  short  of  S  inches.  Scapu- 
larH,  tertials  and  larger  wing  coverts  with  rufous  white  indented  spold, 
and  marginal  bars  of  dusky- brown  on  the  tertiala,  lesb  distincL  on 
the  other  largo  feathers.  Beneath,  as  in  the  adult,  but  the  white 
space  on  tlic  chin  and  throat  more  pure  and  extensive.  Long  axillary 
feathers  with  very  delicate  pale  dusky  zig-zag  bars. 


•  '^»* 


^''vf 


■■h     ■  (.ri"  V 


ibout 

or  2 

legs 

■outer 

Irane- 

riolet 


•/•'■'     . 


■  Jll 


:■««»; 


*!.'; 


■''^r<it,/    '     /f  •! 


m 


r.g}r  'J^r  ■■-  •■•  '■igi^fm^it.ii^^-^  i*'=  ■'. 


t 


YELLOW-SHANKS   TATLER. 

(Totanus  jlavipes,  Vieill.  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  261.  Scolopax  flavipes, 
Wilson,  vii.  p.  55.  pi.  58.  fig.  4.  Yellow-Shanks  Snipe,  Penn. 
Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  4G8.  No.  378.    Phil.  Museum,  No.  3938.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Blackish-brown,  spotted  with  black  and  white; 
rump  partly  white ;  tail  dusky- white,  barred  with  brown ;  legs  and 
feet  yellow  j  bill  black,  slightly  recurved ;  tarsus  longer  than  the 
bill.  Length  of  the  individual  about  10  inches  (malf..)  Female 
li|  inches  longer.  —  Winter  plumage  brownish-ash ;  the  throat 
white,  and  thinly  mottled. 

The  Yellow-Shanks,  in  certain  situations,  may  be  consid- 
ered as  the  most  common  bird  of  the  family  in  America. 
Its  summer  residence,  or  breeding  station,  even  extends 
from  the  Middle  States  to  the  northern  extremity  of  the  con- 
tinent, where  it  is  seen,  solitary  or  in  pairs,  on  the  banks  of 
rivers,  lakes,  or  in  marshes,  in  every  situation  contiguous  to 
the  ocean.  And  though  the  young  and  old  are  found  through- 
out the  warm  season  of  the  .year  in  so  many  places,  the  nest 
and*  eggs  are  yet  entirely  unknown.  Calculating  from  the 
first  appearance  of  the  brood  abroad,  they  commence  laying 


4- 


V. 


YELLOW-SBANKS    TATLER. 


153 


tonsid- 
lerica. 
Ixtends 
ae  con- 
links  of 
Jious  to 
[rough- 
jie  nest 
[m  the 
laying 


by  the  middle  of  June,  and  are  seen  in  this  neighborhood  at 
that  season.  It  resides  chiefly  in  the  salt  marshes,  and  fre- 
quents low  flats  and  estuaries,  at  the  ebb  of  the  tide,  wading 
in  the  mud,  in  quest  of  worms,  insects,  and  other  small 
marine  and  fluviatile  animals.  They  seldom  leave  these 
maritime  situations,  except  driven  from  the  coast  by  stormis, 
when  they  may  occasionally  be  seen  in  low  and  wet  meadows, 
as  far  inland  as  the  extent  of  tide-water.  The  Yellow- 
Shanks  has  a  sharp  whistle  of  three  or  four  short  notes,  which 
it  repeats,  when  alarmed  and  when  flying,  and  sometimes  ut- 
ters a  simple,  low,  and  rather  hoarse  call,  which  passes  from 
one  to  the  other,  at  the  moment  of  rising  on  the  wing.  It  is 
very  impatient  of  any  intrusion  on  its  haunts,  and  thus 
often  betraying,  like  the  preceding,  the  approach  of  the 
sportsman  to  the  less  vigilant  of  the  feathered  tribes,  by 
flying  around  his  head,  with  hanging  legs  and  drooping 
wings,  uttering  its  incessant  and  querulous  cries. 

How  far  they  proceed  to  the  south  in  the  course  of  the 
winter,  is  yet  unknown  ;  they,  however,  I  believe,  leave  the 
boundaries  of  the  Union.  At  the  approach  of  winter,  pre- 
vious to  their  departure  for  the  south,  they  are  observed  to 
collect  in  small  flocks,  and  halt  for  a  time  on  the  shores  of 
Hudson's  Bay.  Accumulated  number's  are  now  also  seen  to 
visit  New  England,  though  many  probably  pass  on  to  their  hy- 
bernal  retreats  by  an  inland  route,  like  the  preceding,  having 
indeed  been  seen  in  the  spring,  on  the  shores  of  the  Missouri, 
in  particular  situations,  by  Mr.  Say.  They  also  seem  to  re- 
side, no  less  in  the  interior  than  on  the  coast,  as  they  were  ob- 
served on  the  shores  of  Red  River  of  Lake  Winipique  (lat. 
49°,)  on  the  11th  of  August,  by  the  same  gentleman;  thus 
subsisting  indifierently  on  the  productions  of  fresh  as  well  as 
salt  water.  At  the  approach  of  autumn  small  flocks,  here 
?dso,  accompany  the  Upland  Plover  (  Totanus  BartramiusJ 
flying  high,  and  whistling,  as  they  proceed  inland  to  feed,  but 


154 


•^'^^'Wading  iambU.      ^ 


feturning  again  towards  the  marshes  of  the  sea  coast  to  roost. 
Sometimes,  and  perhaps  more  commonly  at  the  approach  of 
stormy  weather,  they  are  seen  in  small  restless  bands,  roving 
over  the  salt  marshes,  and  tacking  and  turning  along  the 
meanders  of  the  river,  now  crossing  then  returning,  a  mo- 
ment alighting,  the  next  on  the  wing  ;  they  then  spread  out 
and  reconnoitre,  again  closing  in  a  loose  phalanx,  the  glit- 
tering of  their  wings  and  snow  white  tails,  are  seen  con- 
spicuous as  they  mount  into  the  higher  regions  of  the  air  ; 
and  now  intent  on  some  more  distant  excursion,  they  rise, 
whistling  on  their  way,  high  over  the  village  spire,  and  be- 
yond the  reach  of  danger,  pursue  their  way  to  some  other 
clime,  or  to  explore  new  marshes  and  visit  other  coasts  more 
productive  of  their  favorite  fare.  While  skimming  along 
the  surface  of  the  neighboring  river,  I  have  been  amused  by 
the  sociability  of  these  wandering  waders.  As  they  course 
steadily  along,  the  party,  never  very  numerous,  would  be 
joined  by  some  straggling  Peeps,  who  all  in  unison  pursue 
their  route  together  like  common  wanderers,  or  travellers, 
pleased  and  defended  by  the  access  of  any  company. 

Being  a  plentiful  species,  particularly  in  the  latter  end  of 
summer,  when  the  young  begin  to  flock,  it  is  frequent  in  the 
markets  of  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore, 
with  us  more  particularly  abundant  about  the  middle  of 
August,  and  being  then  fat,  and  well  flavored,  are  esteemed 
for  the  table.  From  the  sympathy  of  the  species  for  each 
other,  they  may  be  shot  with  facility,  if  the  sportsman,  on 
the  first  discharge,  permits  the  wounded  birds  to  flutter 
about,  as  in  that  case,  the  flock  will  usually  make  a  circuit, 
and  alighting  repeatedly  at  the  cries  of  their  wounded  com- 
panions, the  greater  part  of  them  may  be  shot  down  before 
they  perceive  the  real  nature  of  their  danger.  Like  Plo- 
vers, they  can  also  be  called  around  the  sportsman  by  an 
imitation  of  their  whistle.  ^  '  ' ^*'      ^  ■ '    *"  ^s^  ''^'"^ 


.w 


w 

h 


RED-SHANK,    OR   6AMBET. 


155 


The  length  of  the  Tellow-Shanks,  (or  Yellow-Legs,  as  it  is  here 
called)  is  about  10  inches  or  a  little  under.  The  bill  is  black,  1  inch 
4  lines  measured  from  above ;  the  tarsus  2  inches.  Iris  dark  hazel. 
Summit  of  the  head  and  neck  blackish-brown,  edged  with  greyish- 
white.  Fore  part  of  the  back,  scapulars,  greater  coverts,  and  tertia- 
ries,  blotched  and  barred  with  blackish-brown,  and  marked  with 
marginal  triangular  spots  of  brownish-white.  Lower  part  of  the 
back,  lesser  coverts,  and  secondaries,  clove-brown,  narrowly  edged 
round  with  white.  Primaries  blackish-brown ;  the  shafl  of  the  first, 
white.  Two  central  pairs  of  tail  feathers  whitish-brown,- the  lateral 
ones  and  the  coverta  white ;  the  whole  barred  with  blackish-brown, 
but  less  distinctly  on  the  coverts  of  the  tail.  Eye  stripe,  chin,  and 
under  plumage^  white,  streaked  on  the  neck,  and  barred  on  the  sides 
of  the  breast  and  belly  with  blackish-brown.  —  (male.)  The  toin- 
ter  plumage,  inclining  to  ash-color,  as  in  ihe  former. 


THE  RED-SHANK,  or  GAMBET. 


"f^mi 


•.■-fT 


(Totanus  calidris,  Bechst.  Temm.  ii.  p.  643.  Scolopax  caZidris, 
Gmel.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  722.  sp.  25.  Tringa  gamhetta,  Gmel. 
Syst.  i.  p.  671.  sp.  3.  Totanus  ntBvius,  Briss.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  728. 
sp.  9.  Chevalier  tivxpieds  rouges,  ou  la  Gambette,  Buff.  Ois.  vii. 
p.  513.  t.  28.  PI.  Enlum.  845.  [summer  plumage.]  Red-sliatih, 
Pen.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  172.  No.  377.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Cinereous  olive-brown,  spotted  and  barred  with 
black;  secondaries  white  for  half  their  length ;  rump  white;  tail 
dusky- white,  barred  with  blackish-brown ;  legs,  feet,  and  the 
lower  half  of  the  bill  bright  red.  —  Winter  plumage  mostly  ashy- 
brown  ;  below,  except  the  throat  and  breast,  white ;  the  feet  pale 
red.  Young  above,  dusky-brown,  the  feathers  principally  border- 
ed and  indented  with  yellowish-white.  Bill  livid  at  the  base, 
brown  towards  the  point ;  feet  and  legs  orange  yellow.  ;' 

The  Red-Shank  or  Gambet,  seems  to  be  from  its  rarity 
little  more  than  a  mere  straggler  in  the  American  continent, 
as  it  is  also  probably  in  the  marshes  of  China  and  Bengal. 
It  is  common  to  many  parts  of  Europe,  is  particularly  fre- 
quent in  Holland,  and  not  uncommon  in  England  where  it 


156 


WADING   BIRDS. 


bfeeds,  but  seems  generally  to  prefer  the  milder  to  the  cold 
climates.  It  is  found,  however,  as  high  as  Finmark,  inhab- 
its Scandinavia,  also  Iceland,  as  well  as  Siberia,  and  in  the 
course  of  its  extensive  wanderings,  in  autumn,  it  has  been 
met  with  in  the  frozen  sea,  between  Asia  and  America,  in 


the  inclement  latitude 


of  69^o. 


It  was  not  seen,  how- 


ever, by  the  late  scientific  northern  navigators ;  and  it  is 
only  given  on  the  authority  of  Pennant,  and  from  a  spe- 
cimen of  the  bird  from  Hudson's  Bay,  now  in  the  British 
Museum. 

Like  the  preceding,  to  which  the  present  is  related,  it 
breeds  in  marshes,  and  on  the  verge  of  large  pools,  where  it 
chiefly  dwells  ;  laying  4  eggs  of  an  olivaceous-brown,  spot- 
ted and  blotched  with  black,  the  marks  most  numerous  at 
the  large  end.  When  disturbed  in  their  breeding  retreats, 
they  fly  around  the  nest  circularly  in  the  manner  of  the 
Lapwing,  uttering  an  incessant  shrill  whistle,  and  like  the 
Tell-Tale  are  so  vigilant,  noisy,  and  jealous  of  their  breeding 
retreat,  as  to  be  very  troublesome  to  the  sportsman,  alarming 
his  game,  and  defeating  his  pursuit.  When  wounded,  like 
many  other  waders,  they  appear  to  swim  with  facility  ;  and 
the  Common  Sandpiper  (Totanus  hypoleucos)  has  been 
known  to  dive  at  the  approach  of  a  hawk.  They  live  prin- 
cipally upon  larvae,  and  soft;  bodied  insects,  as  well  as  worms, 
and  sometime  prey  upon  minute  shell-fish. 

The  Red-Shank  is  about  11  to  12  inches  in  length.  Bill  above, 
about  1  inch  8  lines.  Length  of  the  tarsus  2  inches.  —  Winter  plu- 
mage of  the  advlt.  Head,  back  of  the  neck,  top  of  the  back,  scapu- 
lars  and  wing  coverts  ashy-brown,  the  color  deeper  along  the  shafls. 
Throat,  sides  of  the  head,  fore  part  of  the  neck  and  breast  greyish- 
white,  with  dusky  lines  along  the  shafls.  Rump,  vent  and  abdomen,, 
white.  Tail  feathers  banded  with  white,  and  broad  zig-zags  of 
dusky.  Iris  brown. '  Legs  and  feet  pale  red.  Half  of  the  bill  red, 
the  rest  black. 


;,afc.;^.t  F^i 


■-•i^ 


w 


WHITB*TAILED  TATLER. 


167 


sold 
lab- 

the 
yeen 
I,  in 
how- 
it  is 

spe- 
ritish 

3d,  it 
lere  it 

spot- 
3US  at 
treats, 
of  the 
ke  the 
feeding 
irming 
d,  like 

J ;  and 
been 

e  prin- 

worms. 


^1  above, 
iter  plu- 
I,  scapu- 
le  shafts. 
]  greyish- 
libdomen,, 
-zagB  of 
'bill  red, 


Smimer  plumage  of  the  advlts.  —  A  white  line  from  the  upper 
mandible  to  the  eye.  Head,  nape,  top  of  the  back,  scapulars  and 
coverts  cinereous  olive-brown,  each  feather  nearly  black  towards  its 
centre.  On  the  scapulars  and  larger  wing  coverts,  some  small  black- 
ish transversal  bands.  Rump  white.  Sides  of  the  head,  throat,  and 
all  the  lower  parts  white,  but  upon  the  centre  of  each  feather  there 
isa  large  longitudinal  spot  of  blackish-brown.  Tail  feathers  banded 
with  black  and  white ;  the  white  soiled  and  grey  on  the  4  middle 
feathers.  Legs,  feet,  and  the  lower  half  of  the  bill  of  a  bright  ver- 
milion. —  In  the  young  of  the  year,  the  upper  feathers  about  the  head 
are  dusky-brown,  with  fine  yellowish  margins.  Back  and  scapulars 
the  same  brown,  the  feathers  bordered  laterally  by  a  yellowish  band, 
which  forms  angular  spots  upon  the  edges  of  the  feathers.  The  re- 
gion about  the  breast  spotted  narrowly  with  dusky-brown.  Flanks 
and  belly  white,  with  some  brown  spots.  Extremity  of  the  tail  ru- 
fous. Bill  livid  at  the  base,  brown  towards  the  point.  Feet  and 
legs  orange. 

Note.  The  Totanvs  candidus  of  Brisson,  figured  by  Edwards,  pi. 
139.  is  considered  by  him  to  be  an  albino  variety  of  T.  calidria.  Its 
semipalmated  feet  would,  however,  rather  rank  it  with  T.  send- 
palmai.is;  but  it  is  smaller.  The  plumage  was  all  white,  except  a 
little  transverse  mixture  of  pale  brown  on  the  back,  wings,  and  tail. 
The  legs  and  feet  bright  reddish-orange. 


WHITE-TAILED  TATLER. 

(Totanus  oehropus,  Temh.  ii.  p.  651.  Richard,  and  Swains.  North. 

Zool.  ii.  p.  393.     Tringa  ockropus,  Ghel.  Syst.  i.  p.  G7G.  sp.  13. 
,  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  739.    Le  Bicasseau  ou  Cul-Blanc,  Bcff.  Ois.  vii. 

p.  534.    PI.  Enlum.  843.  [young  of  the  year.]     G^een  Sandpiperj 

Pknn.  Arct.  Zoo!,  ii.  p.  475.  No.  389 .') 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Dark  Olivaceous-brown,  with  green  reflections,  and 
spotted  with  white ;  three  or  four  outer  tail  feathers  white,  or  with 
a  spot  only  towards  their  extremities ;  quills  blackish-brown. 

The  Green  Sandpiper,  as  this  species  has  been  called,  is 
principally  an  inhabitant  of  the  northern  parts  of  Europe, 
14 


MMM 


t     f. 


158 


WADINa  BIRDe< 


retiring  in  summer  to  the  deep  morasses  of  Sweden,  Rus- 
sia, and  Siberia,  and  extending  its  vernal  migrations  as  far 
as  Iceland.  One  or  two  specimens  have  also  been  obtained 
at  Hudson's  Bay ;  but,  as  yet  it  can  only  be  considered  an 
accidental  straggler  in  North  America.  In  autumn,  they 
visit  the  milder  parts  of  the  old  continent,  and  are  at  that 
season  seen  occasionally  in  England,  remaining  from  about 
the  middle  of  September  to  the  end  of  April.  It  mostly 
frequents  marshes,  pools,  and  shallow  streams,  preferring  a 
residence  near  fresh  water  to  the  sea-coast,  where  it  is  but 
rarely  seen.  It  is  at  all  times  a  solitary  bird,  associating 
only  by  pairs,  or  merely  accompanying  their  brood.  When 
disturbed,  like  the  other  species,  it  makes  a  very  shrill  and 
whistling  note  as  it  takes  to  wing.  Its  food  consists  of  small 
worms,  flies,  and  other  sofl<bodied  insects. 

According  to  Temminck,  they  breed  in  the  central  parts 
of  Europe,  making  a  nest  in  the  sand,  or  in  the  herbage, 
near  to  fresh  waters,  laying  3  to  4  eggs  of  a  whitish  green, 
with  brown  spots. 

The  White-Tailed  Tatler  from  Hudson's  Bay,  was  about  8  inches 
9  lines  long.  The  bill  from  above  1  inch  4  lines.  Tarsus  1  inch  3 
lines.  —  The  upper  plumage  dark  hair-brown  with  green  reflections, 
dotted  on  the  edges  of  the  scapulars,  tertiaries,  and  a  few  of  the  les- 
ser coverts  with  whitish  triangular  specks,  each  spot  having  a  dark 
margin.  Primaries  blackish-brown.  Tail  and  its  coverts  white ;  3 
broad  black  bars  towards  the  ends  of  the  central  tail  feathers,  fewer 
on  the  more  exterior  ones,  and  merely  a  spot  or  two  on  the  two  outer 
pairs.  Line  over  the  eye  and  cheeks  whitish,  with  dusky  streaks } 
a  dark  stripe  on  the  lores.  Front  of  the  neck,  breast,  and  flanks 
pale  dusky-brown,  with  dark  central  stripes ;  the  remainder  of  the 
under  plumage  pure  white.    Wings  rather  longer  than  the  tail.       J 


™v  •.''^.wS;  (V  ■ 


4< 


OREEN-RUMP  TATLER. 


i;;.'^^-^.^,fi'fj;i* 


159 


J^-A 


GREEN-RUMP  TATLER. 

(Toianus  ehloropygius,  Vieill.  Bonap.  Synopa.  No.  263.  Richard. 
North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  393.  Solitary  Sandpiper,  (Tringa  solitaria,) 
Wilson,  vii.  p.  53.  pi.  58.  fig.  3.    Phil.  Museum,  No.  7763.) 

8f.  Charact. — Brown-olive,  with  slight  green  reflections,  and 
spotted  with  whitish;  rump  and  middle  tail  feathers  also  dark 
brown;  tail  white,  broadly  barred  with  blackish;  quills  and  their 
diafls  brownish-black. 

The  Solitary  Tatler  of  Wilson  is,  probably,  with  the 
change  of  seasons,  a  general  inhabitant  of  the  whole  North 
American  continent.  Early  in  May  it  arrives  in  Pennsyl- 
vania from  the  south,  and  a  few  remain  to  breed,  according 
to  the  above  author,  in  the  marshy  solitudes  of  the  moun- 
tains of  Virginia,  Kentucky,  and  Pennsylvania  ,*  the  greater 
part  of  the  species,  proceed,  however,  to  the  boreal  regions, 
as  far  as  the  extremity  of  the  continent.  According  to 
Richardson,  it  makes  no  nest,  but  merely  deposits  its  eggs 
on  the  bare  beach,  or  the  gravelly  banks  of  rivers ;  in  such 
situations,  or  near  mountain  springs,  brooks,  or  pools,  they 
are  seen  solitary  or  by  pairs,  running  swifUy  when  alarmed 
or  in  pursuit  of  their  prey,  and  seldom  taking  wing  until 
hard  pressed,  on  which  occasion  it  makes  a  short  circular 
flight,  and  soon  alights  near  the  same  place  to  renew  its 
search  for  subsistence.  Occasionally  it  stops  and  watches 
the  observer,  often  nodding  or  balancing  its  head  and  tail, 
almost  in  the  manner  of  the  European  Wagtail  (Motacilla). 
It  is  extremely  unsuspicious  of  danger,  proceeding  in  its 
usual  occupation  almost  unconcerned,  when  nearly  ap- 
proached :  in  fact,  the  safety  of  the  species,  is  in  no  small 
measure,  due  to  their  solitary  and  retiring  habits,  as  they 
are  never  seen  on  the  strand  of  the  sea,  nor  collected  into 


Ir  »11r>«*>.M..*_>.^' 


■■at 


mmm 


160 


\n. 


WADINO  BIRDS. 


flocks,  SO  as  either  to  fall  in  the  principal  path  of  the  fowler, 
or  to  present  themselves  in  sufficient  numbers  for  a  success- 
ful shot.  Their  flesh,  however,  is  well  flavored,  and  they 
are  usually  fat. 

In  Massachusetts,  the  Solitary  Tatler  is  only  seen  at  the 
commencement  of  cool  weather.  About  the  beginning  of 
September,  they  arrive  in  single  pairs,  apparently,  from  the 
north,  at  which  time  also  they  are  supposed  to  descend  from 
their  breeding  resorts  in  the  mountains,  and  now  frequent 
the  miry  borders  of  tide-water  streams  and  estuaries,  as  well 
as  small  ponds,  and,  in  short,  any  situation  which  afibrds  the 
means  of  subsistence  with  little  labor.  They  feed  princi- 
pally upon  insects,  such  as  small  coleoptera,  and  cater* 
pillars.  m 

A  pair,  but  oflener  a  single  individual,  have  usually  fre> 
quented,  very  familiarly,  the  small  fish-pond  in  the  Botanic 
Garden  in  Cambridge.  Attracted  by  the  numerous  Dona- 
tias  and  their  larvae,  which  feed  upon  the  water  lily  (NytW' 
phaa  odorataj  I  observed  one  of  them  tripping  along  upcm 
the  sinking  leaves  w^ith  great  agility,  expanding  its  wings, 
and  gently  flitting  over  the  treacherous  element  in  the  man- 
ner of  the  Rail.  At  another  time,  probably  the  same  indi- 
vidual, (who  at  first  was  accompanied  by  a  mate,)  was  seen, 
day  afler  day,  collecting  insects,  and  contentedly  resting  in 
the  interval,  on  the  border  of  the  pond.  The  water  having 
been  recently  let  off,  the  lily  leaves  and  insects  were  cov- 
ered with  mud ;  as  soon  then  as  our  little  familiar  and  clean- 
ly visitor  had  swallowed  a  few  of  these  insects,  he  washed 
them  down  with  a  drink  of  the  water,  and  at  the  same  time 
took  the  precaution  to  cleanse  his  bill  and  throat.  Indeed 
it  is  remarkable,  that  however  dirty  the  employment  of  these 
shore  birds  may  be,  so  neat  are  they  in  all  their  habits,  that 
not  a  stain  or  a  soil  is  allowed  for  a  moment  to  remain  upon 
their  limb<i  or  plumage.    This  species  is  usually  silent,  ex- 


.A.-^.  .t».'*"','''-'''V!*..t.-rt.tA.»r-''*--'J\* 


.  .fi.,.  •■*'n.fc.»;.^.5^»»*',« 


OlUEBN-RrMP  TATLBB. 


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its,  that 
ain  upon 
ent,  ex- 


cept when  suddenly  flushed,  at  which  times  it  utters  a  sharp 
whistle,  like  most  of  the  other  kinds  to  which  it  is  related. 
According  to  the  observations  of  Mr.  Ives  (of  Salem),  the 
Solitary  Tatler  swims  and  dives,  with  great  facility,  when 
disabled  from  flying  by  a  wound  ;  it  even  proceeds  under  the 
water,  like  the  Divers  or  Grebes,  and  is  only  overtaken  by  a 
close  pursuit.  This  species  is  allied  to  T.  glareola,  but,  at 
the  same  time,  essentially  distinct. 

The  Green-Ramp  Tatler  is  about  Sjl  inches  long.  The  bill  from 
above,  about  1|  inches.  Tarsus  about  the  length  of  the  bill.  Hind 
toe  3  lines.  Summer  plumage  of  the  adult.  Upper  parts,  including 
the  central  pair  of  tail  feathers  dark  olive-brown,  slightly  glossed 
with  green,  and  interspersed  with  small  marginsJ,  angular,  white 
spots ;  the  lateral  tail  feathers  and  their  coverts  barred  with  black 
and  white ;  the  white  bars  being  broadest  on  the  former ;  rump  feath- 
ers merely  edged  with  white.  Wings  unspotted,  except  on  the 
margins  of  the  tertiaries.  Primaries,  their  coverts,  and  the  anterior 
border  of  the  wing,  deep  brownish-black,  with  all  the  shafts  of  the 
same  brown  color.  —  Under  plumage  white ;  short  stripe  over  the 
eye  whitish;  sides  of  the  head,  front  of  the  neck,  and  breast,  streaked 
with  pale  olive  brown ;  inside  of  the  wings,  and  long  axiliaries  bar- 
red with  blackish-brown  and  white.  Bill  blackish-brown.  Legs 
and  feet  dusky-olive.  Tail  somewhat  rounded  laterally :  in  most  of 
our  specimens  there  are  white  spots  on  the  margins  of  the  middle 
tail  feathers.  In  the  adult  ?  probably,  these  spots  are  obsolete  or 
wanting. 


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't. >}<■:* 


SPOTTED  TATLER,  or  PEET  WEET. 


'^i:. 


(Totanus  maculariusjTEMM.  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  264.  Spotted  Sand- 
piper, Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  473.  No.  385.  Wilson,  vii.  p.  60. 
pi.  59.  fig.  1.  [adult]  Spotted  Tringa,  (Tringa  maculata.)  Ed- 
wards, pi.  277.  lower  figure.     Phil.  Museum,  No.  4056.) 

Sp.  Charact. —  Glossy  olive  brown,  waved  with  dusky ;  rump  and 
tail  of  the  same  color  with  the  rest  of  the  plumage ;  one  or  more 
outer  tail  feathers  white,  barred  with  black ;  quills  dark  olive 
brown,  with  a  large  white  spot  on  the  inner  web  —  Advlt,  beneath 
white,  with  roundish  dusky  spots ;  bill  yellow  below,  black  towards 
the  tip.  —  Young,  beneath  white ;  wing  coverts  edged,  but  not 
barred,  witli  waving  dusky  lines ;  upper  mandible  blackish. 

The  Peet  Weet,  is  one  of  the  most  familiar  and  common 
of  all  the  New  England  marsh  birds,  arriving  along  our 
river  shores  and  low  meadows,  about  the  beginning  of  May, 
from  their  mild  or  tropical  winter  quarters,  in  Mexico,  and 
probably  the  adjoming  islands  of  the  West  Indies.  By  the 
20th  of  April,  Wilson  observed  their  arrival  on  the  shores 
of  the  large  rivers  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania.  They 
migrate  and  breed  from  the  Middle  States,  in  all  probability, 


\ 


SPOTTED  TATLER,    OR   PEET   WEET. 


168 


to  the  confines  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  or  further ;  but  were 
not  seen  by  Dr.  Richardson,  or  any  of  the  Arctic  expedi« 
tions,  in  the  remote  boreal  regions,  or  around  Hudson's  Bay, 
as  had  been  asserted  by  Hutchinson.  It  is  also  an  acci- 
dental visitor  in  the  old  continent,  being  sometimes  observed 
on  the  coasts  of  the  Baltic,  and  in  Germany,  but  still  more 
rarely  in  Great  Britain.  As  to  residen'  \  therefore,  the 
Spotted  Tatler  may  be  considered  as  exclusively  American, 
and  confined  chietly  to  the  limits  of  the  more  temperate  parts 
of  the  Union. 

As  soon  as  the  Peet  Weet  arrives  on  the  coasts,  small 
roving  flocks  arc  seen,  at  various  times  of  the  day,  coursing 
rapi  ily  along  the  borders  of  our  tide  water  streams,  flying 
swift  and  rather  low,  in  circuitous  sweeps  along  the  mean- 
ders of  the  creek  or  river,  and  occasionally  crossing  from 
side  I  )  side,  in  rather  a  sportive  and  cheerful  mein,  than  as 
the  needy  foragers,  they  appear  at  the  close  of  autumn. 
While  flying  out  in  these  wide  circuits,  agitated  by  superior 
feelings  to  those  of  hunger  and  necessity,  we  hear  the 
shores  re-echo  the  shrill  and  rapid  whistle  of  'weet,  'weet, 
'weet,  'meet,  and  usually  closing  the  note,  with  some- 
thing like  a  warble,  as  they  approach  their  companions  on 
the  strand.  The  cry  then  again  varies  to  'peet,  weet  weet 
weet,  beginning  high  and  gradually  declining  into  a  some- 
what plaintive  tone.  As  the  season  advances,  our  little 
lively  marine  wanderers  oflen  trace  the  streams  some  dis- 
tance into  the  interior,  nesting  usually  in  the  fresh  meadows 
among  the  grass,  sometimes  even  near  the  house  and  I 
have  seen  their  eggs  laid  in  a  strawberry  bed,  and  the  young 
and  old  pleased  with  their  allowed  protection,  familiarly  fed 
and  probed  the  margin  of  an  adjoining  duck  pond,  for  their 
usual  fare  of  worms  and  insects.* 


-iiu.' 


*■  This  occurred  at  my  friend  Mr.  Brown's,  at  West  Cambridge. 


1 

I 


»  k 


t  i 


164 


WADINO  BIROl. 


Like  the  preceding  species,  but  more  frequently,  they 
have  the  habit  of  balancing  or  wagging  the  tail,  in  which 
even  the  young  join  as  soon  as  they  are  fledged.  From  the 
middle  to  the  close  of  May,  an  they  happen  to  arrive  in  the 
different  climates  chosen  for  their  summer  residence,  the 
pairs,  seceding  from  their  companions,  seek  out  a  site  for 
their  nest,  which  is  always  in  a  dry  open  field  of  grass  or 
grain,  sometimes  in  the  seclusion  and  shade  of  a  field  of 
maise,  but  most  commonly  in  a  dry  pasture,  contiguous  to 
the  sea  shore ;  and  in  some  of  the  solitary  and  small  sea 
islands,  several  pairs,  sometimes  nest  near  to  each  other,  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  noisy  nurseries  of  the  quail- 
ing Terus.*  The  nest,  sunk  into  the  bosom  of  a  grassy 
tufl,  is  slightly  made  of  its  withered  tops,  and  with  a  thin 
lining  of  hay  or  bent.  The  eggs  4  in  number,  are  of  a 
greyish  yellow,  or  dull  cream  color,  marked  with  a  great 
number  of  specs  and  spots  of  dark  brown,  with  a  very  few, 
of  a  somewhat  lighter  shade,  the  whole  most  numerous  at 
the  larger  end :  they  are  about  1^  inches  in  length,  and 
very  wide  at  the  greater  end.  On  being  flushed  from 
her  eggs,  the  female  goes  off  without  uttering  any  com- 
plaint; but  when  surprised  with  her  young,  she  prac- 
tises all  the  arts  of  dissimulation  common  to  many  other 
birds,  fluttering  in  the  path,  as  if  badly  wounded,  and  gen- 
erally succeeds,  in  this  way,  so  far  to  deceive  a  dog,  or  per- 
haps squirrel,  as  to  cause  them  to  overlook  the  brood,  for 
whose  protection  these  instinctive  arts  are  practised ;  nor 
are  the  young  without  their  artful  instinct,  for  on  hearing 
the  reiterated  cries  of  their  parents,  they  scatter  about,  and 
squatting  still  in  the  withered  grass,  almost  exactly  their 
^or,  it  is  with  careful  search  very  difficult  to  discover  them, 


*  As  at  Egg  Rock,  near  Nahant,  where  Uiey  appear  sedulougly  to  employ  the 
mall  portion  of  graas  which  growa  on  that  ial«U 


SPOTTED  TATLBR,   OR  PBET   WEET. 


166 


r,  they 
which 
om  the 
in  the 
ce,  the 
site  for 
;ra8s  or 
field  of 
uous  to 
lall  sea 
ther,  in 
le  quail* 
I  grassy 
I  a  thin 
are  -of  a 
a  great 
ery  few, 
lerouB  at 
rth,  and 
ed  from 
ly  com- 
le  prac- 
ly  other 
id  gen- 
or  per- 
for 
id;  nor 
hearing 
)ut,  and 
ly  their 
|er  them, 

employ  the 


po  that  nine  times  out  of  ten,  they  would  be  overlooked, 
tnd  only  be  endangered  by  the  tread,  which  they  would 
endure  sooner  than  betray  their  conscious  retreat. 

At  a  later  period,  the  shores  and  marshes  resound  with 
the  quick,  clear,  and  oil  repeated  note  of  peet  wSet,  peet 
ufiet,  followed  up  by  a  plaintive  call  on  the  young,  of  peet, 
peet  peet  ?  peet  ?  If  this  is  not  answered  by  the  scattered 
brood,  a  reiterated  'weet  'weet  'iceet,  'wait  'wait  is  heard, 
the  voice  dropping  on  the  final  syllables.  The  whole 
marsh  and  the  shores  at  times  echo  to  this  loud,  lively, 
and  solicitous  call  of  the  affectionate  parents  for  their 
brood.  The  cry,  of  course,  is  most  frequent  towards  eve- 
ning, when  the  little  family,  separated  by  the  necessity  of 
scattering  themselves  over  the  ground  in  quest  of  food,  are 
again  desirous  of  reassembling  to  roost.  The  young,  as 
soon  as  hatched,  run  about  in  the  grass,  and  utter,  from  the 
first  a  weak  plaintive  peep,  at  length,  more  frequent  and 
audible ;  and,  an  imitation  of  the  whistle  of  'peet  weet,  is 
almost  sure  to  meet  with  an  answer,  from  the  sympathizing 
broods  which  now  throng  our  marshes.  When  the  note  ajjj^ 
pears  to  be  answered,  the  parents  hurry,  and  repeat  their  call 
with  great  quickness.  The  late  Mr.  William  Bartram,  so 
long  and  happily  devoted  to  the  study  of  nature,  with  which 
he  delighted  to  associate,  informed  Wilson  of  the  spirited 
defence  which  one  of  these  Peet  Weets  made  of  her  young 
against  the  attacks  of  a  Ground  Squirrel.  The  place  was 
on  the  river  shore ;  the  female  had  thrown  herself,  with  her 
two  young  behind  her,  between  them  and  the  land ;  and 
at  every  attempt  of  the  enemy  to  seize  them  by  a  circuitous 
sweep,  she  raised  both  her  wings,  almost  perpendicularly, 
and  assuming  this  formidable  appearance,  rushed  towards 
the  squirrel,  who  intimidated  by  this  show  of  resistance,  in- 
stantly retreated^  but  soon  returning,  was  met  as  before,  in 
front  and  flank,  by  the  resolute  bird,  who  with  her  wings 


166 


WADING  BIRDS. 


and  plumage  bristled  up,  seemed  swelled  to  twice  her  usual 
size.  The  young  crowded  together  behind  her,  sensible  of 
their  peril,  moving  backwards  and  forwards  as  she  advanced 
or  retreated.  In  this  way  the  contest  endured  for  about  ten 
minutes,  when  as  the  strength  of  our  little  heroine  began 
to  fail,  the  friendly  presence  of  the  humane  relater  put  an 
end  to  the  unequal  and  doubtful  contest.  r 

Young  and  old,  previous  to  their  departure,  frequent  the 
sea  shores,  like  most  of  the  species,  but  never  associate  with 
other  kinds,  nor  become  gregarious,  living  alwr^^i  in  families, 
till  the  time  of  their  depui  lUre,  which  usually  occurs  about 
the  middle  of  October.  While  near  the  shore,  they  feed 
on  small  shrimps,  coleoptera,  and  probably  also  molusca. 

The  length  of  the  Spotted  Tatler  is  from  6  to  7i  inches.  Bill  nearly 
an  inch  long,  straight  to  the  tip,  which  is  curved,  grooved  nearly  to 
the  extremity,  the  point  hard  and  horny,  with  no  appearance  of 
nervous  pits,  and  therefore,  but  little  sensitive ;  the  color  to  the  tip 
is  brownish-yellow,  brightest  below ;  the  hard  extremity  black.  — 
Upper  plumage,  of  a  glossy  brown  olive,  with  greenish  reflections. 
Summit  of  the  head  and  neck  marked  with  longitudinal  dusky  spots 
along  the  shafts  of  the  feathers ;  the  back,  scapulars,  and  tertiaries 
undulatingly  barred  with  dark  olive-brown,  the  bars  in  zigzag  on  the 
larger  and  longer  feathers.  Quills  dusky-brown,  the  2  first  plain, 
the  succeeding  marked  each  with  a  large  oval  white  spot  on  their 
inner  webs;  secondaries  white  on  the  inner  webs  for  more  than 
half  their  length,  broadly  tipt  with  white,  and  with  some  white  on 
part  of  the  outer  webs :  bastard  wing  bordered  and  terminated  with 
white.  Rump  and  rounded  tail,  plain  olive-brown;  the  central 
feathers  faintly  tipt  v/ith  dusky,  the  rest  more  or  less  barred  with 
dusky,  and  more  distinctly  terminated  with  white ;  the  outermost 
lateral  feather  barred  with  black,  but  white  only  on  the  (nUer  wdi. 
Lores  dusky.  Stripe  over  the  eye  and  eye-lid  white.  Below  white, 
tinged  with  grey  at  the  sides  of  the  neck ;  nearly  all  the  feathers 
ending  in  a  subterminal,  roundish,  dusky  olive  spot,  (giving  the 
whole  bird,  with  its  plain  plumage,  straight  and  black  tipped  yellow 
bill,  no  unapt  resemblance  to  a  Thrush,  and  hence  the  name  of  Tur- 
diis  aquaticus,  given  it  by  Brisson.)    Legs  rather  stout,  dull  wax 


EULIOA. 


167 


yellow,  the  tarsus  somewhat  shorter  than  the  bill.  Iris  hazel.  — 
Female  larger,  with  the  zigzags  on  the  tertiaries  small,  obscure 
and  confined  to  the  tips ;  with  the  white  spot  on  the  wing  com- 
mencing  on  the  &d  primary,  where,  however,  it  is  small  and  moV 
tied.  Outer  tail  feather,  and  a  great  part  of  the  2d  white,  with  dusky 
bars.  —  Young,  white  below,  and  without  spots,  the  sides  of  the  breast 
ash-grey ;  two  first  primaries  oflen  wholly  dusky-olive ;  top  of  the 
head  and  neck  plain  olive-brown,  without  spots  or  with  very  faint 
traces  of  them ;  coverts  of  the  wings  and  the  long  feathers  of  the 
back  all  without  bars,  terminated  with  dark  curved  edgings,  and 
tipped  with  slender  borders  of  pale  rufous  or  greyish-white.  Outer 
tail  feather  in  some  white,  in  others  with  much  olive,  all  barred 
with  blackish. 


Subgenus.  —  *EuLiGA.f 

Bill  slightly  curving  from  near  the  middle,  depressed  at  the  baad , 
about  the  length  of  the  head.  Legs  and  f£et  robust,  the  latter 
^arty  beneath ;  hind  toe  half  the  length  of  the  inner  one.  Wings 
shorter  than  the  tail. 

This  beautiful  bird,  for  which  this  section  is  instituted,  is  in  habit 
and  plumage  more  allied  to  the  Curlews  than  the  present  genus^ 
The  bill  is  thus  faintly  curved  from  below  the  point ;  the  feet  are 
equally  robust.  The  bars  on  the  inner  parts  of  the  wing  and  its 
axillaries,  as  well  as  the  longitudinal  and  arrow  shaped  spots  of  the 
neck  and  breast ;  and  particularly  the  medial  line  on  the  top  of  the 
head,  are  characteristic  traits  in  the  livery  of  several  species  of  JVu- 
^Ifiemus.  But  the  inner  and  middle  toe  are  divided  to  the  base,  and 
the  bill  is  not  longer  than  the  head,  as  well  as  sharp  at  the  extremity. 
These  birds  rarely  ever  frequent  the  sea  coast,  residing  chiefly  in 
meadows,  and  plains  near  the  sea  (in  autumn,)  subsisting  almost 
wholly  on  coleoptera,  grasshoppers,  and  other  land  insects.  They 
appear  to  moult  only  once  in  the  year. 


t  From  r.v  and  hyia,  in  reference  to  its  somewhat  «iiphonous  whistle. 


< 


i 


' 


I 


■w 


BARTRAM'S  TATLER. 

(Totanua  Bartramius,  Temm.  ii.  p.  650.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  262. 
Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  391.  Tringa  Bartramia,  Wilson, 
vii.  p.  63.  pi.  59.  fig.  2.  T.  longicauda,  Bechst.  Vog.  Nachtr. 
Der  Langgesehwant ''.e  StrandiaUfer,  Navm.  Vog.  Nachtr.  t.  38. 
fig.  76.  rhil.  Museum,  No.  4040.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Rump  black ;  wings  much  shorter  than  the  taper- 
ing tail,  first  primary  barred  on  the  inner  web ;  bill  somewhat 
curved,  below  brownish-yellow  towards  the  base. 

Bartram's  Tatier,  known  here  by  the  name  of  the  Up- 
land Plover,  so  very  distinct  from  the  rest  of  the  tribe  with 
which  it  is  associated  in  the  systems,  is  one  of  the  most 
common  birds  along  the  sea  coast  of  Massachusetts,  making 
its  appearance  with  its  fat  and  well  fed  brood,  as  early  as 
the  20th  of  July,  becoming  more  abundant  towards  the 
middle  of  August,  when  the  market  of  Boston  is  amply 
supplied  with  this  delicate  and  justly  esteemed  game. 


bartram's  tatler. 


169 


According  to  the  season  of  the  year,  they  are  found 
throughout  the  continent,  many  retiring  south  of  the  equator 
to  pass  the  winter.  They  are  observed  in  May,  already 
busily  gleaning  coleopterous  insects  on  the  remote  boreal 
plains  of  the  Saskatchewan,  and  abound  in  the  extensive 
prairies  west  of  the  Mississippi.  At  this  time,  and  in 
June,  they  are  seen  common  also,  in  Worcester  county, 
(Mass.)  and  are  believed  to  breed  there.  They  are  equally 
frequent  on  the  plains  of  Long  Island  and  New  Jersey,  and 
in  similar  bare  and  dry  pastures  in  various  parts  of  Massa- 
chusetts, particularly  about  Sekonk,  and  in  Rhode  Island, 
near  to  the  sea  coast,  where  they  pass  the  greater  part  of 
the  summer.  Wilson,  who  first  described  the  species,  met 
with  it  in  the  meadows  of  the  Schuylkill,  pursuing  insects 
among  the  grass  with  great  activity.  As  a  straggler,  it  has 
been  seen,  though  very  rarely,  in  Germany  and  Holland. 

The  breeding  range  of  this  species,  extends,  in  all  pro- 
bability, from  Pennsylvania  to  the  fur  countries  of  Upper 
Canada,  as  well  as  westward,  on  either  side  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. Scattering  broods  and  nests,  made  in  dry  meadows, 
are  not  uncommon  a  few  miles  from  Salem,  where  Mr.  N. 
West  informs  me,  he  saw  the  young  jnst  ficslLied,  the  pre- 
sent season,  (1833)  in  the  month  of  July. 

While  here,  they  feed  much  upon  grasshoppers,  which 
now  abound  in  every  field,  and  became  so  plump  as  to 
weigh  upwards  of  three  quarters  of  a  pound.  They  keep 
together  usually  in  broods,  or  small  companies,  not  in 
gregarious  swarms,  like  the  Sandpipers,  and  when  ap- 
proached, are,  like  Plovers,  silent,  s!  y,  and  watchful,  so 
that  it  requires  some  address  to  approach  them  within 
gun  shot.  They  run  fast,  the  older  birds  sometimes  drop- 
ping their  wings  and  spreading  the  tail,  as  if  attempting 
to  decoy  the  spectator  from  paying  attention  to  their 
brood.     On  alighting,  they  stand  erect,  remain  still,  and 

15 


170 


WADING   BKnDS. 


on  any  alarm,  utter  three  or  four  sharp  querulous  whistling 
notes  as  they  mount  to  fly.  In  the  pastures  they  familiarly 
follow,  or  feed  around  the  cattle,  and  can  generally  be  best 
approached  from  a  cart  or  wagon,  for  though  very  wary  of 
man,  they  have  but  little  apprehension  of  danger,  in  the 
company  of  domestic  animals.  In  August,  the  roving  fami- 
lies now  approach  the  vicinity  of  the  sea,  resorting  to  feed 
and  roost  in  the  contiguous  dry  fields.  In  the  morning, 
as  they  fly  high  in  the  air,  in  straggling  lines,  their  short 
warbling  whistle  is  sometimes  heard  high  over  head,  while 
proceeding  inland  to  feed,  and  the  same  note  is  renewed  in 
the  evening,  as  they  pass  to  their  roosts.  It  ^s  also  very 
probable,  that  this  is  usually  the  time  they  employ  in  their 
migrations  to  the  south,  which  commence  here,  early  in 
September,  and  by  the  middle  of  that  month,  a  few  strag- 
glers only  are  found. 

The  length  of  Bartram's  Tatler,  is  from  12  to  13  inches  ;  and  about 
21  in  alar  extent.  The  bill  1  inch  2  to  4  lines,  black  above,  bright 
brownish  yellow,  inclining  to  orange  below,  towards  the  base.  Tarsus 
from  1|  to  2  inches,  wax-yellow ;  soles  of  the  feet  lemon-yellow, 
inner  toe  free,  the  web  between  the  other  toes  short  and  thick.  Iris 
dusky.  —  Adult,  in  summer  dress ;  upper  plumage  mostly  blackish- 
brown,  edged  with  tawny-rufous,  sometimes  almost  fading  into 
white.  Summit  of  the  head  blackish-brown,  the  centre,  in  one  of 
the  sexes  divided  by  a  medial  line  of  pale  rufous;  scapulars, 
tertials,  and  greater  wing  coverts,  more  or  less  obscurely  barred  with 
a  deeper  tint  of  blackish-brown  ;  the  rufous  margins  broader,  some- 
times forming  angular  indentions  between  the  dark  bars.  Lower 
part  of  the  back,  and  most  of  the  tail  coverts,  pitch-black.  Spurious 
wings,  and  primaries  with  their  coverts,  blackish-brown  ;  the  shaft  of 
the  1st  primary  white,  as  well  as  the  whole  of  the  inner  web,  which 
is  barred  and  marbled  with  dusky ;  the  inner  webs  of  the  other  quilla 
are  also  more  obscurely  barred ;  secondaries  tipped  and  spotted  with 
white.  Tail  graduated,  orange-buff,  tipt  with  white ;  the  outer  feath- 
ers more  broadly,  sparingly,  and  distinctly  barred  with  black,  the  ter- 
minal bar  broad,  and  deeply  indented,  the  buff  replaced  by  greyish- 


OODWIT8. 


171 


,nd  about 
^,  bright 
Tarsus 
rellow, 
Iris 
ackish- 
ing  into 
one  of 
apulars, 
ed  with 
some- 
Lower 
luriouB 
shaft  of 
,  which 
er  quills 
ed  with 
r  feath- 
the  ter- 
reyish- 


brown,  in  the  central  pair  of  feathers.  —  Under  flumag&,  chin  and 
belly  white ;  under  tail  coverts  tinged  with  rufous,  the  large  lateral 
feathers  barred  with  dark  brown.  Neck  and  bremt,  pale  tawny- 
buff,  the  former  streaked,  the  latter  crossed  by  arrow-headed  marks 
of  blackish-brown,  flanks  bxrred  with  the  same.  All  the  under 
wing  coverts  and  lining,  as  well  as  the  long  axillaries  white,  barred 
with  dusky-brown,  (female.)  The  sexes  appear  alike  in  plumage  : 
yet  some  individuals  are  darker,  with  narrow,  and  paler  edginga  to 
the  feathers. 

Obs.  The  moult  (probably  only  annual,)  takes  place  immediately 
after  breeding,  (in  July,)  and  the  plumage  appears  wholly  similar 
with  that  of  the  vernal  dress,  which  preceded  it.  The  head,  as  in 
the  Plover,  is  much  more  curved  and  elevatod  than  in  any  other 
species  of  this  genus,  —  The  slight  curve  in  the  bill  is  wanting  in 
our  figure. 

In  addition  to  our  ac  ount  of  the  Solitary  Tatler  (Totanus  chlorO' 
pygius)  ;  we  remark,  aat  its  whistle,  uttered  when  alarmed,  or  about 
to  fly,  is  shorter  and  sharper  than  that  of  the  Yellow  Leg.  It  is,  as 
we  have  already  described,  by  no  means  shy ;  habitually  solitary ; 
often  nods  the  head  and  tail ;  sometimes  uttering  a  low  faint  peep, 
when  \."atched  too  assiduously ;  and,  when  satisfied  with  its  prey  of 
insects,  which  it  watches  and  pursues  with  eagerness,  it  frequently, 
in  the  manner  of  the  Rail,  steals  off^,  and  hides  so  closely  in  the 
sedge,  as  to  defy  discovery,  and  will  not,  on  such  occasions,  rise  to 
flight,  however  disturbed,  till  nearly  trod  upon. 


GODWITS.     (LiMosA,  Briss.  ^c.) 

In  these  birds  the  bill  is  very  long,  and  straight,  more  or  less  re- 
curved from  the  middle,  rather  rounded  and  slender,  very  soft  and 
flexible  throughout,  depressed ;  dilated,  flat,  and  obtuse  at  the  point ; 
both  mandibles  deeply  furrowed  their  whole  length.  Nostrils  in 
the  furrows  of  the  bill,  basal,  lateral,  linear,  pervious.  Feet  and 
legs,  long  and  slender,  with  a  large  naked  space  above  the  knee : 
3  toes  before  and  one  behind ;  the  middle  united  to  the  outer  toe  by 
a  membrane  which  extends  to  the  1st  articulation;  the  hind  toe 
short  and  slender,  touching  the  ground  only  at  the  tip.  JVings  long 
&nd  acute  j  Ist  primary  longest.    Tail  of  12  feathers. 


■■«-■<  a-jHiiL.-**  «  . 


172 


WADING   BIRDS. 


The  female  larger,  and  of  somewhat  duller  colors.  The  young 
scarcely  differing  from  the  adult  in  winter  plumage.  They  moult 
twice  in  the  year,  changing  greatly  the  colors  of  their  plumage, 
and  the  female  acquires  her  dress  later  than  the  male. 

The  God  wits  are  large  birds  allied  to  the  Curlews,  with  very  long 
bills  and  legs,  dwelMng  principally  in  marshes,  and  frequenting  the 
estuaries,  aiid  muddy  banks  of  rivers,   at  no  great  distance,  from 
the   sea.    Their  sight  is  weak,  and  their  habits  principally  noc- 
turnal, feeding  usually  on  insects,  larv©  and  worms,  which  they 
collect  at  twilight,  or  by  the  light  of  the  moon ;  for  this  purpose 
they  thrust  their  long  and  sensitive  bills,  like  Snipes,  into  mud  and 
wet  sand,  as  the  feebleness  of  this  organ  renders  it  uufit  for  foraging 
in  the  earth,  or  in  gravel.     Indolent^  timid,  and  !>hy,  Ihey  live  in 
flocks,  scattered  over  the  deep  morasses,  where  they  resort,  hiding 
sedulously  by  day  among  the  rank  grass  and  reeds,  which  they  only 
leave  night  and  morning  in  quest  of  food ;  at  such  times  thc^ir  hoarse 
and  shrill  barking  voice,  is  heard  from  the  depths  of  the  marsh,  and 
(lasy-from  its  quailing  discordance,  been  compared  to  the  cry  of  a  goat. 
When  discovered,  they  run  out  rapidly,  without  taking  wing,  among 
the  reeds  and  swampy  grounds  in  which  they  are  always  entrenched. 
They  breed  in  society  in   the  same   situations,  they   usually  fre- 
quent, laying  their  eggs  among  the  grass  or  in  the  shelter  of  ad- 
joining bushes.     The  Godwits,  like  some  of  our  Sandpipers,  (par- 
ticularly Tringa  Wilsonii,)  migrate  in  flocks,  by  night,  particularly 
when  it  is  moonlight,  and  may,  at  such  times,  be  heard,  and  some- 
times seen  passing  along  high  in  the  air.     The  species  of  the  genus 
are  few,  but  spread  over  all  the  cold  and  temperate  parts  of  the  north- 
ern hemisphere.     Of  these,  in  all  about  four,  two  are  confined  to 
Europe,  and  two  others  to  North  America. 


5i 


<:;,ii^i:.  ,.t'f\a'j 


ia 


^•)iii'j'  i<M'i-tr>^  ■,  '!'  t; 


ji-s;  ■•. 


GREAT  MARBLED  GODWIT. 

(Limosafedoa,  Vieill.  Bonap.  No.  3GG.  Richard.  North.  Zool.ii.  p. 
395  Great  Godwit,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  465.  No.  371.  Marbled 
Godwit,  Ibid.  Suppl.  p.  68.  No.  471.  Scolopax  fedoa,  Wilson,  vii. 
p.  30.  pi.  56.  tig.  4.  [female.]    Phil.  Museum,  No.  4019.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  recurved;  rump  '-niform  in  color  with  the 
rest  of  the  plumage ;  tail  brownish,  banded  with  black.  —  Summer 
plumage,  dusky-brown,  varied  with  rufous;  beneath  pale  ferru- 
ginous. Winter  dress,  cinereous;  beneath  whitish.  Male,  with 
the  breast  marked  with  undulating  bars  of  dusky-brown. 

The  Marbled  Godwit  is  only  a  transient  visiter  along  the 
sea  coasts  of  the  United  States,  in  the  spring  and  fall,  on  its 
way  to  and  from  its  breeding  place  in  the  north.  Accord- 
ing to  Richardson,  they  abound  in  the  summer  season  in 

15* 


1^ 


174 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


the  interior  of  the  fur  countries,  being  particularly  plenti- 
ful on  the  Saskatchewan  plains,  where  it  frequents  marshes 
and  bogs,  walking  on  the  surface  of  the  swamp  moss, 
(Sphagna,)  and  thrusting  down  its  bill  to  the  nostrils  in 
quest  of  worms  and  leeches,  which  it  discovers  by  the 
sensitive  poir'  of  its  bill,  thus  finding  means  to  obtain  a 
kind  of  food  w.iich  would  otherwise  be  imperceptible  to 
any  other  sense.  They  no  doubt,  likewise  vary  their  fare, 
and  feed  also  upon  insects,  and  larvae.  They  arrive  on  the 
coasts  of  the  Middle  States  in  the  month  of  May,  and  linger 
on  till  some  time  in  June.  Many,  however,  at  thi  time, 
have  already  arrived  at  their  ultimate  destination  i.x  the 
north,  so  that  it  is  not  improbable  but  some  of  these  God- 
wits  may  breed  in  more  temperate  regions  to  the  west  as 
well  as  north,  selecting  the  high  plains  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, in  situations  sufficiently  moist.  At  all  events,  they 
are  seen  in  the  lower  part  of  Missouri,  in  the  course  of  the 
spring,  but  migrate,  like  most  other  waders,  along  the  sea 
coast,  in  the  way  to  their  tropical  winter  quarters. 

The  Marbled  Godwit,  in  large  flocks,  appears  in  the  salt 
marshos  of  Massachusetts,  about  the  middle  of  August, 
particularly  towards  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  Bay, 
around  Chatham,  and  the  Vineyard ;  their  stay  is,  however, 
very  short,  and  they,  at  the  same  time,  no  doubt,  visit  the 
eastern  coast  of  Long  Island.  On  these  occasions,  they 
are  assembled  by  many  hundreds  together,  and  usually 
associate  with  the  Short  Billed  Curlews,  they  themselves 
being  called  Red  Curlews;  though  here  they  are  distinguish- 
ed also  by  the  name  of  Doe-birds,  and,  being  at  this  season 
fat,  are  highly  esteemed  for  the  table.  They  are  very  shy  . 
and  cautious,  but  when  once  confused  by  the  fall  and  cries 
of  any  of  their  companions,  great  destruction  may  be  made 
among  them  before  they  recover  from  the  delusion ;  they 
thus  make  repeated  circuits  round  the  wounded  and  com- 


'  :, 


BUDSONIAN   GODWIT. 


175 


plaining,  and  may  also  be  enticed  within  gun  shot,  by  imi- 
tating their  whistling  call,  in  the  manner  of  the  Curlew. 
Indeed  without  some  contrivance  of  this  kind,  they  can 
seldom  ever  be  approached.  They  are  seen,  it  appears,  in 
the  Middle  States  as  late  as  October,  or  November,  but  are 
not  met  with  on  this  coast  beyond  the  close  of  September. 

Length  of  the  male  Godwit,  19  inches ;  of  the  female  21.  Length 
of  the  bill  from  above,  in  the  male,  3  inches  9  lines ;  of  the  female  4 
inches  10  lines.  Tarsus  in  the  male  2  inches  10  lines ;  of  the  female 
3  inches.  The  bill  very  slightly  curved  upwards  ;  above,  and  at  the 
tip  blackish-brown,  on  the  sides  and  beneath  dull  flesh-color.  Legs 
greenish-black.  Above  dusky-brown,  spotted  or  barred  with  different 
tints  of  buff  or  ferruginous,  head  darker.  On  the  fore  part  of  the  back, 
scapulars,  and  tertiaries,  the  pale  rust  color  forms  transverse  spots 
or  bars ;  on  the  rump,  tail,  and  its  coverts,  the  pale  bars  are  broader 
than  the  dark  ones.  Four  first  quills  blackish-brown,  edged  with  buff; 
their  inner  webs,  the  remaining  quills,  the  secondaries,  and  part  of  the 
greater  coverts,  bright  yellowish-buff,  sprinkled  with  black;  shaft 
of  the  first  quill  brownish- white.  Line  from  the  nostrils  to  the  up- 
per eye-lid  and  the  chin  white ;  cheeks  the  same,  streaked  with 
dusky.  Under  plumage  bright  wood-brown,  with  small  dusky  spots 
on  the  neck;  breast  and  flanks  barred  with  the  same.  The  whole 
inside  of  the  wings,  and  under  surface  of  the  tail,  rufous-orange. — 
In  some  specimens  the  inner  wing  coverts,  and  under  tail  coverts 
are  barred  with  liver-brown.  Middle  nai7  in  some  individuals  notch- 
ed, in  others  entire. 


HUDSONIAN  GODWIT. 

(Limosa  hudsonica,  Swainson,  and  Richakd.  North  Zool.  ii.  p. 
396.  Hudsonian  Godwit,  Lath.  Pfnn.  Arct.  Zool.  Suppl.  ii.  p. 
68.  Scolopax  hudsonica,  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  730.  sp.  20.  Red- 
breasted   Godwit,   Edwards,  pi.  138.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  very  slightly  recurved ;  rump  white ;  tail  some- 
what doubly  forked,  black,  with  a  white  base  and  tip;  axillary 
feathers  black.  —  Summer  plumage  dusky-brown,  varied  with  pale 


176 


WADING    DIADS. 


i 


'i 


« 


i 


i 


rufous ;  beneath  chostnut,  spotted  and  barred  with  dusky.     Win' 
ter  dress  ashy-brown,  beneath  on  the  breast  grey,  below  w^iUe. 

The   Hudsoiiian,    or  American    Black-Tailed   Go»lwit, 
though   abundant  in  the  barren  grounds  near  the  Arctic 
sea,  where  it  breeds,  is  an  uncommon  viaiier  in  the  eastern 
and  Middir  States  of  the  Union;  althoi    h,  from  all  ana- 
logy, and  the  impossibility  of  the  species  subsisting  through 
the  winters  of  its  natal  regions,  we  are  certain  that  the  whole 
retire  into  nnld  cJimates  to  pass  the  winter.     They  probably, 
like  some  other  birds  of  the  same  countries,  retire  south- 
ward by  an  inland  route,  or  even  pass  the  autumn  on  the 
shores  of  the  Norlh- Western  coast  of  the  continent;  be  this 
as  it  may,  the  present  bird  is  among  our  greatest  rarities; 
as  I  have  seldom  seen  more  than  two  or  three  pair  in  the 
course  of  the  season ;  these  are  found  on  the  neighboring 
coast  of  the  Bay,  and  called  by  the  market  people  of  Bos- 
ton, Goose-Birds.     I  obtained  a  solitary  pair  of  these  strag- 
glers about  the  8th  of  September ;  they  were  very  fat  and 
well  flavored,  sumick ly  distinguishable,  in  this  respect,  from 
the  CiirJpUj  and  appeared  to  have  been  feeding  on  some 
Ulva  oi  otiier  ve  ^etaole  substance.  Se  /eral  pair  of  young  and 
old  birds  were  ')rought  to  market  this  year,  (1833),  from  the 
6th  to  the  30th  of  the  same  month.     An  individual,  now  in 
the  Philadelphia  Isfuseum,  was  shot  also,  near  the  coast  of 
Cape   May,   in   New  Jersey.     They   sometimes   associate 
with  the  Plovers,  and  descending  to  the  marshes  and  the 
strand,  feed  upon  minute  shell-fish,  shrimps,  and  the  roots 
of  the  Zostera.     Accordmg  to  Richardson,  they  frequent 
boggy  lakes;  like  the  preceding,  probing  the  sphagnum  and 
mud  in  quest  of  insects,  and  minute  shell-fish.     Its  manners 
are  similar  to  those  of  the  L.  fedoa,  and  in  most  respects  it 
makes  an  approach  to  the  Black-Tailed  species  of  Europe ; 
it  is,  however,   somewhat   larger,    and   readily   contradis* 
tinguished.     The  L.  melanura  frequently  utters  a  low,  plain- 


Ill  DSONTAN    OODWIT. 


177 


tive,  yelping  noto,  like  the  barkinir  of  a  puppy,  or  small 
whinin)^  dog.  The  Red  Godwit,  is  indeed  called  the  Barker 
by  Buffon,  from  the  similarity  and  frequence  of  this  habit. 
The  English  name  of  Yarvvhelp,  for  the  melanura,  has  also 
reference  probably  to  the  same  note  ;  and  the  clandestine  pas- 
sage, high  in  the  air,  and  in  the  dead  of  night,  of  the  myste- 
rious 'Seven  Wliistlers,'  sometimes  hv;v  ^  in  my  native  vil- 
lage,* in  Yorkshire,  and  to  which,  haimiess  superstition  oc- 
casionally added  some  supernatural  pr  *  's,  in  all  proba- 
bility, nothing  uon  than  a  wanderioii  'f  this  singular 
company  of  Yelpers,  or  Curlews,  r<  turmug  t<'  their  native 
marshes  and  fens  in  the  interior,  where  formerly  they  were 
known  to  breed. 

The  L.  melanura  nests  in  the  high  grass  of  the  meadows, 
near  water,  and  lays  4  eggs  of  a  dark  olive,  marked  with 
large  pale  brown  spots. 

Length  of  the  male  Hudsonian  Godwit  15  to  IG  inches ;  of  the 
female  18  to  19.  Bill  measured  from  above,  in  the  male,  3  inches  or 
less ;  in  the  female  3  inches  7  lines,  rather  more  curved  upwards 
than  that  of  L.  fedot ;  dark  umber  above  and  at  the  point ;  else- 
where purplish  flesh  color.  Legs  and  feet  black.  Tarsus  of  the 
male  about  2  inches ;  of  the  female  2  inches  4i  lines.  —  Summer 
dress,  with  the  top  of  the  head  dusky-brown,  with  pale  edgings. 
Line  over  the  eye  whitish  and  spotted.  Sides  of  the  head  and  the 
neck  above  and  below,  wood-brown,  with  dark  streaks.  Scapulars, 
interscapulars,  and  tertiaries,  dark  liver-brown,  tinged  with  green, 
the  tips  and  marginal  spots  dilute  wood-brown,  or  pale  rufous.  Mid- 
dle and  hind  part  of  the  back  dark  clove-brown,  with  pale  edgings. 
Broad,  transverse  band  on  the  rump,  the  base  and  tip  of  the  tail,  white ; 
middle  of  the  tail  and  ends  of  its  longer  coverts  black ;  central  pair 
of  tail  feathers  tipped  with  pale  olive-brown.  Primary  coverts  and 
quills  blackish-bro'ivn ;  the  shafls  white  to  near  their  tips.  Under 
plumage  posterior  to  the  neck,  deep  chestnut-brown ;  the  breast 
marked  with  roundish  black  spots,  the  belly  with  undulating  bars, 
which  become  much  broadei  and  more  numerous  posteriorly  and 

^~^~"^-^'^— ' ■■■  ■-■  ■  ■  III. 

'*'  Long  Preston. 


-v* 


^^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


■tt  iiii   12.2 


1.1 


lU 


ua 


12.0 


L25  III  1.4 


1.6 


6" 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14S80 

(716)872-4503 


\V 


178 


WADING  BIRDS. 


I- 


on  the  tail  coverts ;  the  posterior  under  plumage  in  also  tipt  with 
white;  the  two  longest  under  tail  coverts  are  white,  with  two 
large,  oblong,  black  blotches.  Under  wing  coverts  blackish-brown, 
tipt  with  white ;  long  axillaries  and  the  lesser  coverts  surrounding 
them,  unspotted  pitch-black.  Wings  equal  in  length  to  the  tail, 
which  is  partially  forked,  the  central  pair  of  feathers,  being,  how- 
ever, as  long  as  the  outer  pair,  thus  producing  a  double  emargination, 
or  notching ;  outermost  feather  nearly  all  white,  except  the  oblique 
tip  which  runs  far  down  on  the  inner  web.  In  the  female  the  chest- 
nut of  tha  under  plumage  is  less  pure,  more  tipt  with  white,  and 
barred  with  black,  and  the  nails  of  their  middle  toes  are  more  apt 
to  be  dentated ;  (in  the  7  specimens  before  me,  however,  there  is  no 
vestige  of  a  notch ;)  this  character  even  varies  in  the  feet  of  the 
same  individual.  —  Winter  plumage,  a  dark  mouse  grey,  almost 
wholly  without  spots  and  edgings.  Below,  this  color  on  the  throat 
and  breast  is  dilute,  and  tinged  with  yellowish,  the  rest  of  the  in- 
ferior plumage  fading  into  white  towards  the  belly  and  vent. 

In  the  young  of  the  year,  the  head  and  neck  are  of  a  dull  brownish- 
grey,  the  former  spotted  with  dusky-brown.  The  back  and  scapulars 
dusky-brown,  edged  with  rufous-white,  a  few  of  the  longest  often 
partly  barred  at  their  extremities.  Rump  greyish  pitch-black,  the  low- 
er part  and  tail  coverts  pure  white,  a  few  of  the  latter  tipt  with  black. 
Tail  black,  the  lower  part  of  the  feathers  white,  tips  brownish- white, 
outermost  tail  feather  for  the  most  part  white,  oUiquely  tipt  with 
black.  Stripe  over  the  eye  whitish.  Lores  dusky-brown.  Chin, 
rump,  and  under  tail  coverts,  white.  Tiiroat  and  breast  brownish-ash 
color ;  below  white,  faintly  tinged  with  rufous.  Slight  indications  of 
waving  spots  on  the  sides  of  the  breast.  Wing  coverts  ash,  dusky 
along  the  shafts,  greater  coverts  broadly  fringed  with  ashy-white. 
The  first  4  primaries  brownish-black,  the  rest  and  secondaries  white 
below,  that  color  extending  farther  up  on  the  outer  shafts.  Primary 
coverts  pitch  black,  tipt  broadly  with  greyish-white,  shoulder  of  the 
wing  dusky.  Long  axillaries,  intimate  and  upper  lining  of  the 
wing  black ;  the  anterior  lining  broadly  edged  with  white.  Intimate 
lining  of  the  secondaries  principally  white.  Legs  and  feet  oIiv9> 
black,  webs  of  the  the  toes  unequal,  the  outer  extending  to  the  first 
articulation,  the  other  half  as  long.  Bill  slightly  curved  npwardft, 
dusky-brown  above,  black  at  tip,  the  greater  part  of  the  lower  man^ 
dible  brownish-red:  in  the  male  2|  inches  long;  (measured  from 
above)  in  the  female  3^  inches.  Length  of  the  male  15  inches ;  of 
the  female  17. 


tinn,  &>o. 


179 


how- 


THE  WHITE  GODWIT. 

(Idmosa  Edwardsii,  Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  396.  in  a  note. 
The  White  Godwit  from  Hudson's  Bay  (Fedoa  Canaiengis,  rottro 
sursum  reiurvo,)  Edwards,  pi.  139.  posterior  figure. 

Of  this  bird  nothing  is  jet  known  beyond  Edwards's  figure  and 
description,  made  from  a  specimen  brought  firom  Hudson's  Bay  by 
Mr.  Isham  in  1745.  "  This  bird  is  of  the  size  of  the  Red-Breasted 
Godwit  (L.  Hudsomeus,)  and  its  measures  agree  pretty  nearly  there- 
with,  except  the  Bill,  which  is  rather  longer,  and  turns  upwards  to- 
wards the  point  like  that  of  Avocetta  (Recurvirostra.)  The  InU  is  of 
an  orange  color,  but  black  at  the  point ;  it  bends  gradually  upwards, 
like  a  scythe,  and  is  justly  represented  in  the  figure.  The  plumage 
of  this  bird  is  white  all  over,  excepting  the  tail,  the  greater  quills, 
and  the  small  feathers  on  the  ridge  of  the  wing,  which  are  of  a  dirty 
or  yellowish-white ;  the  covert  feathers  withinside  of  the  wings  are 
light  brown ;  the  legs  are  bare  above  the  knees ;  the  outer  is  joined 
to  the  middle  toe ;  the  legs,  feet,  and  claws  are  all  of  a  dark  brown 
color."  —  Edwards. 


SNIPE,  &c.     (ScoLOPAX,  Lin.) 

With  the  bill  long,  straight,  slender  and  compressed,  soft  and 
flexible ;  the  point  depressed,  dilated,  tumid,  and  obtuse,  minutely 
tuberculated  or  dotted,  projecting  over  the  lower  mandible:  both 
mandibles  furrowed  to  the  middle.  Nostrils  in  the  furrow  of  the 
bill,  basal,  lateral,  linear,  pervious,  covered  by  a  membrane.  Feet 
and  legs  moderate,  slender,  4-toed,  naked  space  on  the  tibia  small ; 
fore  toes  entirely  divided.*  Wings  moderate,  the  1st  and  2d  pri- 
maries nearly  of  equal  length,  and  longest  in  the  wing.  Tail  short 
and  rounded,  of  from  12  to  16  or  more  feathers. 

The  head  large,  compressed,  low  in  firont  and  high  behind ;  the 
eyes  large,  placed  high  and  far  back  in  the  head,  so  as  to  give  a 
stupid  appearance  to  the  bird,  for  which  it  is  indeed  characteristic. 


*  Tbe  oater  united  to  the  caiddle  toe  in  tbe  mibgeniu,  MACBOBAMravi. 


WADINO   BIROS. 

<         \ 

The  tongue  long,  filiform  and  acute.  The  body  compressed  and 
very  fleshy.  The  sexes,  with  the  young,  similar  in  their  plumage, 
but  the  female  a  little  larger.  They  moult  twice  in  the  year,  and 
the  tints  are  a  little  more  brilliant  in  summer. 

These  birds,  nearly  nocturnal  in  their  habits  and  time  of  feeding, 
live  usually  in  woods,  or  in  bogs  and  marshes,  and  feed  on  worms, 
insects,  and  other  small  animals,  which  they  seek  in  mud  or  bog- 
moss,  by  probing  down  with  the  sensitive  bill,  whose  extremity  pos- 
sesses, in  consequence  of  its  peculiar  nervous  netting,  all  the  appro- 
priate sense  of  touch ;  when  this  resource  fails,  and  also  in  common, 
they  seek  their  prey  by  turning  over  the  decayed  leaves  of  the  forest, 
under  which  it  may  happen  to  lurk.  When  pursued  they  keep 
close  to  the  ground,  and  have  the  infatuation  to  think  that  by  hiding 
their  head  in  their  feathers,  they  are  concealed  from  their  enemies ; 
when  close  chased,  or  suddenly  flushed,  they  start  on  wing  and  fly 
out  with  great  rapidity.  The  flesh  is  considered  superior  to  almost 
any  other  game.  —  The  species,  composed  of  two  or  more  subgenera, 
are  spread  all  over  the  world,  but  they  generally  prefer  cold  coun- 
tries for  their  residence,  in  which,  if  temperate,  they  are  oflen  resi- 
dent the  whole  year,  in  other  climates  they  are  necessarily  migratory 
from  the  nature  of  their  food.  They  nest  on  the  ground ;  and  the 
eggs  are  about  four.  , 


lit  • 


yil 


i^. 


Subgenus.  —  Macroramphus,  (Leach.) 

With  the  eye  not  far  back  in  the  head ;  the  legs  long ;  the  bare 
space  above  the  knee  extensive ;  tarsus  longer  than  the  middle  toe ; 
the  outer  toe  connected  to  the  middle  one  by  a  membrane  as  far  as 
the  first  joint,  the  inner  toe  also  connected  by  a  very  short  web ; 
the  hind  toe  nail  acute  and  projecting  over  the  toe.  Tail  of  12  fea- 
thers. 

These  birds,  different  from  the  true  Snipes,  vary  their  plumage 
according  to  age  and  season,  '  the  manner  of  the  Sandpipers. 
Unlike  the    Snipes,    they  are  '  gregarious,    keeping  and   fly- 

ing in  flocks,  and  generally  ina^oit  open  marshy  grounds  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  sea ;  they  fly  high  and  with  rapidity,  and  have  not 
the  habit  of  hiding  in  the  iierbage.  Of  this  section,  or  rather  true 
genus,  there  is  but  a  single  species.    It  appears  to  connect  Scolopax 


BROWN,    OR   RED-BREASTED    SNIPE. 


181 


with  Totanus,  &nd  is  in  many  respects  allied  to  Heteropoda  (TrtH' 
ga  semipalmata)  both  in  the  feet,  bill,  wings,  and  general  plu- 
mage. 


BROWN,  OR  RED-BREASTED  SNIPE. 

(Scolopax  grisea,  Ghel.  Lath.  Ind.  Orn.  ii.  p.  724.  sp,  33.  Temm. 
ii.  p.  679.  BoNAp.  Syn.  No.  267.  Am.  Orn.  iv.  p.  51.  pi.  23.  fig. 
3.  Brown  Snipe,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii,  p.  464.  No.  369.  Macro- 
ramphus  griseus,  Leach.  Cat.  Brit.  Mus.  [winter  plumage.]  — 
Scolopax  noveboracensis,  Lath.  Gmel.  Syst.  i.  p.  658.  Red-breast- 
ed Snipe,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  464.  No.  368.  Wilson,  vii.  p. 
45.  pi,  58.  fig.  1.  [summer  dress.]  Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p. 
398.  (Limosa.)    Phil.  Museum,  No,  3932.) 

Sp.  Charact. — Rump  and  tail  white,  the  former  spotted,  and  the 
latter  thickly  banded  with  black ;  shaft  of  the  first  primary  white. 
—  Summer  plumage,  black,  varied  with  rufous  and  cinereous ; 
superciliary  stripe,  and  all  below  rufous.  Winter  dress,  chiefly 
cinereous,  beneath  white.  Young,  with  the  neck  and  breast 
mostly  cinereous,  and  the  back  feathers  with  broad  rufescent  bor- 
ders but  without  marginal  spots ;  from  the  breast  to  the  tail,  below, 
white,  tinged  wi  h  rufous.  ,_^  ,.     -.      t  ■  yv 

The  Red-Breasted  Snipe  begins  to  visit  the  sea  coast  of 
New  Jersey  early  in  April,  arriving  from  its  winter  quarters 
probably  in  tropical  America.  After  spending  about  a 
month  on  the  muddy  marshes,  and  sand-flats,  left  bare  by 
the  recess  of  the  tides,  a  more  powerful  impulse  thail  that 
of  hunger  impels  the  wandering  flocks  towards  their  natal 
regions  in  the  north,  where  secluded  from  the  prying  eye 
of  man,  and  relieved  from  molestation,  they  pass  the  period 
of  reproduction,  the  wide  range  of  which  continues,  with- 
out interruption,  from  the  borders  of  Lake  Superior  to  the 
shores  of  the  Arctic  Sea.  On  the  plains  of  the  Saskatche- 
wan, according  to  Richardson,  they  feed  much  upon  leeches 
16 


182 


WADINO   BIRD0, 


and  coleoptera,  for  which,  no  doubt  they  probe  the  nrad 
and  sphagnum  of  the  bogs  and  marshes,  a  habit  which  they 
also  pursue  while  here,  on  their  way  to  the  south,  particu- 
larly collecting  the  larvaB  of  aquatic  insects,  such  as  lAr 
bellultB,  and  others.  The  nest  and  eggs  of  this  species  are 
yet  unknown.  The  ovaries  in  females  killed  in  May  were 
already  swelled  to  the  size  of  peas ;  and  by  the  20th  of  July, 
or  beginning  of  August,  they  revisit  the  shores  of  New 
England  and  the  Middle  States,  in  large  flocks  recruited  by 
their  young,  already  full  grown,  in  good  condition  for  the 
table,  and  are  at  all  times  greatly  esteemed  for  their  ex- 
cellent flavor. 

The  Red-Breasted  Snipes  are  always  seen  associated  in 
flocks,  and  though  many  are  bred  in  the  interior  around  the 
great  northern  lakes,  they  now  all  assemble  towards  the  sea 
coast,  as  a  region  that  affords  them  an  inexhaustible  supply 
of  their  favorite  food  of  insects,  molusca,  and  small  shell- 
fish ;  and  here  they  continue,  or  a  succession  of  wandering 
and  needy  bands,  until  the  commencement  of  cold  weather 
advertises  them  of  the  approach  of  famine  ;  when,  by  de- 
grees, they  recede  beyond  the  southern  limits  of  the  Union. 
While  here,  they  appear  very  lively,  performing  their  aerial 
evolutions  over  the  marshes,  at  a  great  height  sometimes  in 
tlft  air,  uttering  at  the  same  time  a  loud,  shrill  and  quiver- 
ing whistle,  scarcely  distinguishable  from  that  of  the  YeUow 
Legged  Tatler,  (something  like  'tS-te-tef  'ti-te-4e.)  The 
same  loud  and  querulous  whistling  is  also  made  as  they 
rise  from  the  ground,  when  they  usually  make  a  number 
of  circuitous  turns  in  the  air,  before  they  descend.  At 
all  times  gregarious,  in  the  autumn  and  spring  they  some- 
times settle  so  close  together,  that  several  dozens  have 
been  killed  at  a  single  shot.  While  feeding  on  the  shores 
or  sand-bars,  they  may  be  sometimes  advantageously  a{H 
proached  by  a  boat,  of  which,  very  naturally,  they  have  but 


BROWN,   OR  RBD-BKEASTED   SNIPE. 


183 


Tittle  fear  or  suspicion,  nor  are  they  at  any  time  so  shy  as 
the  common  Snipe,  alighting  often  within  a  few  rods  of  the 
place  where  their  companions  hare  been  shot,  without  ex- 
hibiting alarm  until  harassed  by  successive  firing.  Besides 
xnolusca,  they  occasionally  vary  their  fare  with  vegetable 
diet,  such  as  the  roots  of  the  Zostera  marina,  and  I  have 
also  found  in  their  stomachs  the  whitish  oval  seeds  of  some 
marsh  or  aquatic  plant ;  they  likewise,  in  common  with  the 
Sandpipers,  and  many  other  wading  birds,  swallow  gravel 
to  assist  the  trituration  of  their  food. 

The  length  of  the  Red-Breasted  Snipe  is  about  Hi  inches,  (this 
is  the  length,  at  least,  of  5  specimens  now  before  me)  the  male,  hoW' 
ever,  is  said  to  be  less.  The  bill  is  black  towards  the  point,  the  re- 
mainder dull  olive ;  the  epidermis  at  thr^  base  of  the  bill  transversely 
wrinkled ;  its  length  about  2^  inches,  measured  from  above ;  (in 
young  birds  somewhat  shorter  J  The  tarsus  less  than  Ij^  inches. 
Middle  toe,  without  the  nail,  about  1  inch.  —  Winter  plumage,  with 
the  summit  of  the  head,  neck,  breast,  wing  coverts,  back  and  scapu- 
lars ashy-brown,  paler  on  the  latter,  with  all  the  feathers  darker  on 
the  margins  and  tips ;  a  band  of  this  color  between  the  bill  and  the 
«ye.  Line  over  the  eye,  belly,  throat,  and  thighs  white ;  flanks 
whitish,  with  waving  lines  of  pale  brown.  Back  and  scapulars  pale 
brown,  with  darker  tips  to  the  feathers.  Rump  and  lower  tail  co- 
verts white,  with  curving  spots  of  blackish,  which  become  trans- 
verse bands  upon  the  upper  coverts  of  the  tail,  of  which  all  the  fea- 
thers are  striped  with  approximating  bands  of  black  and  white.  — 
Summer  plumage,  with  the  top  of  the  head,  back  of  the  neck,  scapulars 
and  tertiaries,  striped  and  spotted  on  the  margins  with  ferruginous, 
with  transverse  bars  of  the  same  color  on  the  longer  scapulars  and 
tertiaries.  Wing  coverts  and  secondaries  clove-brown ;  the  former 
narrowly  edged  with  white,  the  latter  broadly  edged  and  striped 
down  the  shafts  with  the  same.  'Primaries  blackish-brown,  the  shaft 
of  the  1st  one  white.  Middle  and  hind  parts  of  the  back  white,  the 
rump  marked  with  round  spots  of  blackish-brown,  which,  on  the  tail 
coverts  become  transverse  bars.  Tail  with  about  10  black  bands, 
broader  than  the  white  intermediate  ones,  tl^e  2  central  feathers 
tinged  and  tipt  with  rufous.  Line  over  the  eye,  and  whole  under 
plumage  buff,  approaching  to  ferruginous.    Sides  of  the  head  spotted 


184 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


\ 


with  dark  brown,  the  ipots  crowded  into  a  stripe  on  the  lore*. 
Front  of  the  neck,  ■ides  of  the  breast,  flanks,  and  tail  coverts, 
marked  with  scattered  round  spots  of  dark  brown,  larger,  and  form- 
ing bars  under  the  wings.  Inner  wing  coverts  barred  with  white 
and  olove-brown.  In  some  specimens  the  black  bars  of  the  tail  are 
very  broad  and  irregular,  becoming  blotched  and  zig-zag.  —  In 
yoiin/f  birds,  which  form  more  than  two  thirds  of  all  those  brought  to 
the  Boston  Market,  the  upper  plumage  is  more  broadly  edged  with 
dilute  rufous ;  the  bars  on  the  scapulars  lees  defined ;  the  marginal 
spots  on  the  feathers  of  the  top  of  the  back  wholly  wanting.  The 
neck  cinereouM,  faintly  tinged  with  dark  brown :  stripe  over  the  eye, 
and  chin,  nearly  white ;  sides  of  the  neck,  throat,  and  top  of  the 
breast  pale  grey,  tinged  with  very  dilute  rufous,  and  with  a  few, 
very  s'.nall  and  indistinct  or  clouded  specks  of  clove-brown.  Breast 
and  all  the  lower  parts  white,  tinged  with  rufous ;  the  vent  spotted 
with  black.  The  tail  handsomely  tipt  with  rufous,  with  the  last 
black  bar  in  zig-zag. 


Subgenus.  —  Scolopax.  (  True  Snipes.)  p- 

With  the  legs  of  moderate  length,  and  a  small  naked  space  above 
the  knee ;  all  the  toes  are  clefl ;  the  hind  nail  acute  and  projecting 
over  the  toe.  Tail  of  from  12  to  16,  18,  or  even  34  feathers !  The 
young  similar  to  the  adult ;  and  there  is  no  change  of  colors  in 
moulting.  The  feathers  present  generally  a  nuxture  of  black,  white, 
rufous,  and  cinereous 

The  Snipes,  merely  associated  by  pairs,  or  solitary,  dwell  in  open 
marshes,  in  bogs,  and  on  the  margins  of  rivers,  as  well  as  by  pools 
of  fresh  water;  they  fVequont  damp,  and  sometimes  also  dry 
prairies,  but  have  no  predilection  for  the  sea  coast.  As  they  always 
hide  in  the  grass,  they  are  not  perceived  until  started.  Their  flight 
i  s  high,  rapid,  and  irregular.  The  species  are  few,  but  some  of  them 
spread  over  the  whole  globe.  ^ 


■i ,). , 


.iitr 


WILSON  8   fNIPE. 


185 


WILSON'S  SNIPE. 

(Seolopax  Wilsonii,  Tkhm.  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  266.  Richard.  North. 
Zool.  ii.  p.  401.  Snipe,  (Seolopax  gallinago,)  Wilson,  vi.  p.  18. 
pi.  47.  fig.  1.    Phil.  Museum,  No.     .     .     .) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Tail  graduated,  of  16  feathers,  with  black  subter- 
minal  bars ;  the  outermost  with  5  bars  of  black  and  whitish,  and 
only  half  as  broad  as  the  middle  feathers  of  the  tail ;  rump  dusky, 
faintly  mottled  and  barred  with  pale  yellowish-brown. 

The  Snipe  of  North  America,  so  nearly  related  to  that 
of  Europe,  is  found  according  to  the  season,  in  every  part 
of  the  continent,  from  Hudson's  Bay  to  Cayenne,  and  does 
not  appear  indeed  sufficiently  distinct  from  the  Brazilian 
Snipe  of  Swainson,  which  inhabits  abundantly  the  whole  of 
South  America  as  far  as  Chili.  Many  winter  in  the  marsh-  ^ 
es  and  inundated  river  grounds  of  the  Southern  States  of 
the  Union,  where  they  are  seen  in  the  month  of  February, 
frequenting  springs  and  boggy  thickets;  others  proceed 
along  the  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  even  penetrate 
into  the  equatorial  regions.  •  it^^** 

By  the  second  week  in  March,  they  begin  to  revisit  the 
marshes,  meadow;,  and  low  grounds  of  the  Middle  States, 
and  soon  after  they  arrive  in  New  England.  In  mild  and 
cloudy  weather,  towards  evening,  and  until  the  '  i  «t  rays  of 
the  setting  sun  have  disappeared  from  the  horizon,  ^  e  hear, 
as  in  the  north  of  Europe,  the  singular  tremulous  murmur-  ' 
ings  of  the  Snipes,  making  their  gyratory  rounds  so  high  in 
the  air  as  scarcely  to  be  visible  to  the  sight.  This  hum- 
ming, or  rather  flickering  and  somewhat  wailing  sound,^ 
has  a  great  similarity  to  the  booming  of  the  Night  Hawk 


/ 


*  Like  'leoAo  'Ao  'Ao  'Ao  'Aoo,  quickly  repeated ;  or  the  booting  of  the  small  owl, 
{Strixaa'Wi)      ••■     -  ~ ......    .  '-.._■,■'     -,•, 

16» 


f» 


im 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


\ 


(Caprimulgus) ;  but  more  resembles  the  sound  produced  by 
quickly  and  interruptedly  blowing  into  the  neck  of  a  large 
bottle  than  the  whirring  of  a  spinning  wheel.  But,  how- 
ever difficult  and  awkward  may  be  our  attempts  to  convey 
any  adequate  idea  of  this  quailing  murmur,  it  seems  to  be, 
to  its  agent,  an  expression  of  tender  feeling  or  amatory 
reverie,  as  it  is  only  uttered  at  the  commencement,  and  dur- 
ing the  early  part  of  the  pairing  season,  while  hovering 
over  those  marshes  or  river  meadows,  which  are  to  be  the 
cradle  and  domicil  of  their  expected  progeny,  as  they  have 
already  been  of  themselves  and  their  mates.  This  note  is 
probably  produced  by  an  undulatory  motion  of  air  in  the 
throat,  while  in  the  act  of  whirling  flight ;  and  appears  most 
distinct  as  the  Snipe  descends  towards  the  ground.  How- 
ever produced,  the  sound  and  its  originators  are  commonly 
so  concealed  by  the  fast  closing  shades  of  night,  and  the 
elevation  from  whence  it  issues  in  cloudy  weather,  that  the 
whole  seems  shrouded  in  mystery.  My  aged  maternal  pa- 
rent remembered,  and  could  imitate  with  exactness  this  low 
wailing  murmur,  which  she  had  for  so  many  years  heard 
over  the  marshes  of  my  native  Ribble,  in  the  fine  evenings 
of  spring,  when  all  nature  seemed  ready  to  do  homage  for 
the  bounties  of  the  season ;  and  yet  at  the  age  of  70,  the 
riddle  had  not  been  expounded  with  satisfaction. 

Over  the  wide  marshes  of  Fresh  Pond,  about  the  middle 
of  April,  my  attention  was  called  to  the  same  invisible 
voice,  which  issued  from  the  floating  clouds  of  a  dark  eve- 
ning ;  the  author  was  here  called  the  Alewife  Bird,  from  its 
arrival  with  the  shoals  of  that  fish  in  the  neighboring  lake. 
From  the  elevation  at  which  the  sound  issued,  probably,  it 
appeared  less  loud  and  distinct  than  that  which  I  have  since 
heard  from  the  English  Snipe.  I  imagined  then,  that  the 
noise  was  made  by  the  quick  and  undulatory  fanning  of 
the  wings,  but  this  would  not  produce  the  shrillness  of  tone 


wiison'b  ■Niri. 


187 


by  which  it  is  characterized,  as  any  one  may  satisfy  himself 
by  hearkening  to  the  very  different  low  buzz  made  by  the 
wings  of  the  Humming  Bird.  In  this  instance,  as  well  as 
in  the  former,  all  my  sporting  acquaintance  were  familiar 
with  this  quivering  call,  but  had  never  decided  upon  its 
author.*  At  the  same  time,  probably  instigated  by  anger 
and  jealousy,  I  observed  flying  high  and  rapid,  a  pair  of 
these  Snipes,  who  then  uttered  a  discordant  quacking  sound ; 
something  like  the  bleat  they  make  when  they  have  de- 
scended to  the  ground,  and  which  they  accompany  with 
an  attitude  of  peculiar  stupidity,  balancing  the  head  for- 
wards, and  the  tail  upwards  and  downwards,  like  the  action 
of  some  automaton  toy,  jerked  and  set  in  motion  by  a  tight 
drawn  string.  -/    ?   tv-^^^, 

Afler  incubation,  which  takes  place  rather  early  in  the 
spring,  the  humming  is  no  longer  heard,  and  the  sprightly 
aerial  evolutions  which  appeared  so  indefatigable,  have  now 
given  way  to  sedater  attitudes  and  feebler  tones.  A  few 
pairs  no  doubt  breed  in  the  extensive  and  almost  inaccessi- 
ble morasses  of  Cambridge  ponds  or  lagoons ;  and  I  have 
been  informed,  that  they  select  a  tuft  of  sedge  for  the  foun- 
dation of  the  nest,  which  is  constructed  with  considerable 
art ;  the  eggs,  like  those  of  the  European  species,  about  4, 
are  perhaps  alike  olivaceous  and  spotted  with  brown.  They 
probably  scatter  themselves  over  the  interior  of  the  conti- 
nent to  breed,  no  where  associating  in  great  numbers ;  nor 
are  they  at  all  common  in  the  hyperboreal  retreats  chosen 
by  so  many  of  the  other  wading  birds.  My  friend,  Mr.  Ives 
of  Salem,  also  informs  me,  that  a  few  pairs  of  this  species 
breed  in  that  vicinity. 


*  Indifferent  observers  may  well  be  excused,  when  it  is  known,  that  even  Mon- 
tngue  appears  ignorant  of  the  fact ;  and  Wilson  attributes  this  bumming  to  the 
Woodcock  in  place  of  the  Snipe. 


168 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


The  Snipe,  almost  nocturnal  in  its  habits,  conceals  itself 
with  assiduity  in  the  long  grass,  sedge,  and  rushes  of  its  en- 
swamped  and  boggy  retreat.     Aware  of  danger  from  the 
approach  of  the  sportsman,  it  springs  at  a  distance  with 
great  rapidity,  uttering  usually  a  feeble  squeak ;  and  making 
several  inflections  before  it  takes  a  direct  course,  it  becomes 
Tery  difficult  to  shoot,  and  is  more  easily  caught  with  a 
snare  or  springe  similar  to  that  which  is  set  for  Woodcocks. 
Being,  deservedly,  in  high  repute,  as  an  exquisite  flavored 
game,  great  pains  are  taken,  to  obtain   Snipes.     In  the 
spring  season,  on  their  first  arrival  they  are  lean ;  but  in  the 
autumn,  assembled  towards  the  coast  from  all  parts  of  the  in- 
terior, breeding  even  to  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  they  are 
now  fat  and  abundant,  and,  accompanied  by  their  young,  are 
at  this  time  met  with  in  all  the  low  grounds  and  enswamped 
marshes  along  the  whole  range  of  the  Atlantic ;  but  ever 
shy  and  dexterous,  they  are  only  game  for  the  most  active 
and  eager  sportsmen.     When  on  the  wing,  they  may  like 
many  other  birds  of  this  family,  be  decoyed  and  attracted 
by  the  imitation  of  their  voice.     They  are,  like  the  Euro- 
pean Snipe,  which  migrates  to  winter  in  England,  by  no 
means  averse  to  cold  weather,  so  long  as  the  ground  is  not 
severely  frozen,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  exclude  their  feed- 
ing ;  so  that  even  in  Massachusetts  they  are  found  occa- 
sionally down  to  the  middle  of  December.     They  are  no 
where  properly  gregarious,  but  only  accidentally  associate, 
where  their  food  happens  to  be  abundant.     For  this  purpose 
they  are  perpetually  nibbling  and  boring  the  black  marshy 
soil,  from  which  they  sometimes  seem  to  collect  merely  the 
root  fibres  which  it  happens  to  contain,  though  their  usual 
and  more  substantial  fare  consists  of  worms,  leeches,  and 
some  long  legged  aquatic  insects ;  the  Snipe  of  Europe  also 
seizes  upon  the  smaller  species  of  Scarabems.     Their  food, 
no  doubt,  is  mixed  with  the  black  and  slimy  earth  they 


wilion's  inipk. 


180 


are 


raise  while  boring  for  roots  and  worms,  and  which,  in  place 
of  gravel,  or  other  hard  subittances,  appears  to  bo  the  usual 
Buccedaneum  they  employ  to  assist  their  digestion  and 
distend  the  stomach.  • 

The  length  of  Wilaon'a  Snipe  varies  fVom  11  to  UJ^  inches;  the 
alar  stretch  about  17  inches.  The  bill  from  3^  to  S|  inches, 
brown,  and  black  towards  the  tip  (shorter  in  the  youni;  bird.)  The 
crown  black,  divided  by  an  irregular  lino  of  pale  brown  ;  and  another 
of  the  same  tint  passes  over  each  eye.  A  dark  brown  stripe  on  the 
lores,  and  another  oblique  one  beneath  the  ears.  Neck  and  upper 
part  of  the  breast  pale  brown,  with  small  dusky  longitudinal  spots. 
Chin  pale  and  spotless,  white,  tinged  with  brown.  Back  and  scapu- 
lars deep  black  with  bronzy  reflections,  the  latter  faintly  barred,  and 
broadly  edged  exteriorly  with  pale-brown  and  white ;  the  central 
feathers  of  the  back  broadly  edged  on  their  outer  margins  with  di- 
lute brown,  thus  producing  two  broad  pale  stripes  down  the  centre 
of  the  back,  the  same  feathers  also  minutely  tipt  with  brown.  Wings 
plain  dusky ;  outer  web  of  the  Ist  primary  as  well  as  the  lower  por- 
tion of  the  shaft  white.  Outer  spurious  feather  of  the  basttird  wing 
much  acuminated,  and  white,  except  a  dusky  space  along  the  shafl ; 
wing  coverts  dusky,  tipt  with  white,  the  upper  ones  paler  and  broadly 
edged  with  a  tint  of  brownish-white,  the  shoulder  of  the  wing  duv- 
ky  brown  and  glossy.  Tail  coverts  long  and  dusky,  faintly  barred 
with  pale  brown.  Tail  rounded,  black,  with  a  bright  ferruginous  zig- 
zag, Bubterminal,  broad  band,  then  crossed  by  a  similar  narrower  dusky 
bar,  and  tipt  with  dilute  brown,  passing  externally  into  white  ;  on 
some  of  the  lower  feathers  there  is  either  a  ferruginous  spot  below 
the  large  bar  on  the  inner  web,  or  a  pale  greyish  ferruginous  entire 
bar;  the  outermost  narrow  feather  is  almost  wholly  white,  linged 
with  dusky  on  the  inner  web,  and  crossed  by  5  dark  bands.  — 
This  is  then,  very  nearly,  the  Scolopax  hrazilierms  of  Swainaon,  but 
the  whole  three  outer  feathers  are  not  white  as  in  that  species.  The 
belly  white,  the  sides  barred  broadly  with  dusky,  but  faintly  tinted, 
as  well  as  the  breast,  with  dilute  brown.  The  throat  and  commence- 
ment of  the  breast,  faint  greyish-brown,  with  two  broad  and  darker 
indistinct  stripes  along  the  sides  of  the  throat.  Long  axillary  feath- 
ers, pure  white,  with  11  or  12  broad  and  very  elegant  angular  dusky 
bands  on  the  longest  of  them ;  the  lining  of  the  wing  white,  and 
also  barred  with  the  same.    Vent  pale  brown,  the  sides  tawny,  with 


190 


WADING    BIRDS. 


dusky  spots  and  bars.  Legs  and  feet  cinereous-olive.  —  In  the  youi^ 
bird,  the  whole  throat  and  neck  is  almost  equally  mottled,  and  the 
tertiaries  and  lesser  wing  coverts  are  more  abundantly  barred  with 
pale  brown,  the  latter  edged  and  tipt  with  white ;  the  white  edgings 
on  the  scapulars  and  back  feathers  are  also  more  conspicuous,  and 
the  rump  and  tail  coverts  lighter  :  the  ferruginous  bands  on  the  tail 
are  more  intense ;  and  the  bill  is  a  quarter  of  an  inch  shorter.        >. 

Obs.  The  specimen  described  by  Dr.  Richardson,  from  Hudson's 
Bay,  is  only  10^  inches  long,  and  the  two  outer  pairs  of  tail  feathers 
are  brownish-white,  with  three  narrow,  equidistant,  blackish  bars. 

On  comparing  our  Snipe  with  the  European  (S.  gallinago,)  the 
black  feathers  on  the  top  of  the  head  in  that  are  spotted  with  brown, 
the  medial  line  more  distinctly  marked.  The  outer  pale  edges  of 
the  scapulars  are  broader,  and  not  so  distinctly  fringed  with  white. 
The  tertiaries  are  much  more  strongly  barred  with  tawny-brown. 
The  RUMP  may  be  said  to  be  tavmy-brown  with  black  undulating  bars. 
The  lesser  wing  coverts  are  more  broadly  tipt  with  white.  TaU 
of  14  feathers,  the  outermost  quite  as  broad  as  the  rest,  which 
have  much  more  brown  upon  them  than  in  ours,  and  the  tail  itself 
is  nearly  even  when  spread.  Throat  and  breast  less  darkly  spotted ; 
and  the  region  of  white  below  more  extensive.  The  flanks  with  far 
fewer  dusky  bars ',  and  with  more  white  than  black  on  the  long  az- 
Ularies.  The  vent  less  brown.  The  naked  space  on  the  tibia  more 
e;!Ltei](sive,    Size  the  ^aiqe  with  ours  :  and  the  bill  and  legs  alike. 


DRUMMOND'S  SNIPE. 

(Scolopax  Drummondii,  Swainson,  Richard.  North.  Zool  p.  400, 
Peethapacasew,  Cree  Indians.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Tail  of  16  feathers  ;  the  two  outer  pairs  somewhat 
narrowed,  varied  with  black  and  white ;  the  rest  broadly  banded 
with  ferruginous. 

This  species,  according  to  Dr.  Richardson,  is  common 
in '  the  fur  countries  up  to  latitude  65^,  and  is  likewise 
found  in  the  recesses  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Its  man- 
ners are  in  all  respects  similar  to  those  of  the  European 
Snipe.     It  is  intermediate  in  size  between  S.  major  and 


DOUOLAS'S    SNIPE. 


191 


gaUinago ;  but  has  a  much  longer  bill  than  the  latter  and 
two  more  tail  feathers.  Its  head  is  divided  by  a  pale  cen- 
tral stripe,  as  in  those  species,  but  its  dorsal  plumage  is  more 
distinctly  striped  than  in  S.  major;  and  the  outer  tail 
feather  is  a  quarter  of  an  inch  shorter  than  that  of  S. 
Doufflasii. 

Dorsal  plumage  and  wings  mostly  brownish-black.    The  top  of  the 
head,  scapulars,  interscapulars,  intermediate  coverts,  posterior  greater 
ones,  and  tertiaries,  reflecting  green,  and  mottled  or  barred  with  yel> 
lowish-brown :  this  color  also  forming  stripes  from  the  forehead  to 
the  nape,  over  the  eyes  to  the  sides  of  the  neck,  and  more  broadly 
on  the  exterior  edges  of  the  scapulars  and  interscapulars.    Middle 
dorsal  plumage,  and  first  quill  fringed  with  white,  most  of  the 
wing  coverts  and  lesser  quills  tipt  with  the  same.     Shafts  of  the  pri- 
maries deep  brown ;  an  inch  of  the  first,  near  its  point,  whitish. 
Rump  and  tail  coverts  yellowish-brown,  barred  with  clove-brown. 
Tail  of  16  feathers ;  the  3  central  pairs  rich  greenish-black,  with 
reddish-orange  or  ferruginous  ends,  crossed  by  a  blackish  subtermi- 
nal  line,  and  tipt  with  white ;  the  3  exterior  pairs  barred  alternately 
with  clove-brown  and  brownish-white,  the  white  tips  broader ;  the  2 
intermediate  pairs  colored  nearly  like  the  middle  ones,  but  partly 
barred  and  tipt  with  white.     Under  plumage;  with  a  dark  brown 
stripe  on  the  lores,  and  another  under  the  ear.    Sides  of  the  head, 
front  of  the  neck  and  breast,  pale  wood-brown,  with  central  spots  of 
dark  umber.    The  flanks,  insides  of  the  wings,  and  under  tail  cov- 
erts, barred  with  black  and  white,  which  on  the  latter  is  tinged  with 
brown.    Belly  white.    Bill  blackish  towards  its  tip,  dark  wood-brown 
at  the  base.    Tail  rather  long,  graduated,  the  feathers  decreasing  a 
little  in  breadth  as  they  are  more  exterior.    Total  length  11^  inches : 
tail  2  inches  10  lines :  the  bill,  from  above,  2  inches  7  lines ;  tarsus  1 
inch  3  lines. 


DOUGLAS'S  SNIPE. 

(Scolopax  Douglasii,  Swainson,  Richard.  North.  Zool.  p.  400.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Tail  of  16  feathers,  not  narrowed,  all  banded  with 
ferruginous,  except  the  outer  pair,  which  are  paler. 


■■■•  / 

1/ 


193 


WADING   BIRDS. 


The  only  specimen  yet  known,  was  killed  on  the  banks  of  the 
Columbia,  in  Oregon,  by  Mr.  Douglass,  whose  name  it  bears.  The 
total  length  wasll^  inches;  of  the  wing  5  inches;  the  tarsus  1  inch 
3)1  lines. 


WOODCOCKS.     (RusTicoLA,  Vkill.  Savi.) 

In  this  tribe  of  birds,  the  bill  is  nearly  similar  with  that  of  the 
Snipe,  but  more  robust,  with  the  extremity  attenuated  and  not  de- 
pressed ;  the  under  mandible  is  also  deeply  grooved  beneath.  The 
eyes  are  placed  very  far  back  in  the  head,  which  last  is  rather  quad- 
rate than  round.  Legs  robust,  short,  and  wholly  feathered  to  the 
knees,  tarsus  shorter  than  the  middle  toe ;  the  toes  cleft  from  the  very 
base,  and  the  hind  nail  truncated,  and  not  projecting  over  the  toe. 
The  1st  or  4th  primary  longest.     Tail  of  12  feathers. 

The  female  larger,  and  the  young  similar  with  the  adult.  The 
plumage  undergoes  no  change  with  the  moult ;  its  general  colors 
are  a  mixture,  oflen  intimate,  of  black,  rufous  and  cinereous. 

These  are  solitary  birds,  or  only  associating  by  pairs  or  families  in 
the  breeding  season.  They  dwell  habitually  in  forests  both  in  the 
plains  and  mountains,  and  frequent  shady  swamps  and  thickets ;  but 
seldom  appear  in  open  grounds.  From  the  greater  strength  of 
their  less  sensitive  bills,  they  are  enabled  to  bore  in  drier  ground 
than  the  Snipes,  and  use  this  organ  often  in  turning  over  the  fallen 
leaves  and  withered  grass,  in  quest  of  their  insect  prey.  They  tend 
their  young  with  great  assiduity,  conveying  them  from  danger  even 
by  sometimes  carrying  them  on  their  backs,  or  in  their  claws.  Their 
flight  is  low  and  direct,  accompanied  by  a  whizzing  sound,  from  the 
labor  attending  upon  it.  Although  there  are  but  two  species  known, 
in  either  continent,  yet  they  are  spread  over  the  whole  earth. 


Subgenus.  —  *Microptera,  (Rusticola.  Bonap.) 

The  head  more  rounded  than  quadrate.  The  wings  short,  and  the 
3  first  primaries  very  narrow  and  graduated,  the  4th  and  5th  being 
longest.  Legs  less  robust,  and  the  hind  toe  nail  slightly  projecting 
over  the  extremity  of  the  toe. 


MICROPTBRA. 


193 


inks  of  the 
lears.  The 
Tsus  1  inch 


n.) 

that  of  the 
nd  not  de> 
eath.  The 
Either  quad- 
red  to  the 
m  the  very 
rer  the  toe. 

dult.  The 
eral  colors 
>us. 

farnih'es  in 
oth  in  the 
cketsj  but 
trength  of 
er  ground 
theYallen 
rhey  tend 
nger  even 
ra.  Their 
,  from  the 
!s  known, 
th. 


The  Ame;i<  Woodcock  seems  to  afford  a  link  of  connection  be- 
twizt  the  RurC.jola  and  true  Scolopax.  As  in  the  Snipe,  the  body  is 
more  slender ;  the  head,  less  elevated  at  the  vertex,  is  more  rounded ; 
the  feet  rather  slender ;  and  the  tail,  of  unequal  sized  feathers,  is 
graduated  to  a  point.  The  structure  of  the  wings  is  very  peculiar 
and  characteristic,  nothing  of  the  kind  existing  in  the  Woodcock  of 
Eiuope,  (now  before  me.)  It  is  in  consequence  a  bird  of  more  re* 
tiring  habits,  less  capable  of  continued  flight,  being  often  sedentary 
in  the  countries  in  which  it  breeds,  and  migrating  short  distances 
merely  over  land,  as  the  severity  of  the  winter  season  increases 
where  it  happens  to  reside.  The  sexes  are  very  different  in  size,  the 
female  being  much  larger,  but  individuals  vary  much  likewise  from 
the  abundance  or  scarcity  of  their  food,  and  the  period  of  the  year 
in  which  they  have  been  reared.  To  show  the  relative  shortness  of 
the  wing  in  a  specimen  of  ISi^  inches,  it  measures,  from  the  shoulder 
to  the  point  only  about  5  inches  :  in  the  European  Woodcock  of  15 
inches,  the  same  part  of  the  wing  is  7  inches  in  length. 


17 


ap.) 

t,  and  the 
5th  being 
»rojecting 


f--: 


LESSER  WOODCOCK. 

(Rusticola  minoTf  Nobis.  Scolopax  minor,  Gmel.  Bonap.  Syn.  No. 
269.  Wilson,  vi.  p.  40.  pi.  48.  fig.  2,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p. 
463.  No.  365.    Phil.  Museum,  No.    .    .) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Hind  head  black,  with  3  pale  rufous  bands ;  beneath 
dilute-rufous  and  without  bars ;  quills  plain  dusky. 

The  American  Woodcock,  like  the  Snipe,  appears  again 
to  be  a  near  representative  of  that  of  Europe,  whose  man- 
ners and  habits  it  almost  entirely  possesses,  differing,  how- 
ever, materially  in  the  temperature  of  the  climates  selected 
for  its  residence,  confining  itself  in  the  summer  to  the  south 
side  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  breeding  in  all  the  intermediate 
space  as  far  as  the  limits  of  the  Middle  States,  and  retiring 
in  winter,  for  the  most  part,  either  to  or  beyond  the  boundary 
of  the  Union.    The  European  species,  on  the  contrary,  court- 


i,  ;■ 


LESSER   WOODCOCK. 


195 


ing  cooler  climates,  winters  in  Greit  Britain  and  the  north 
of  Europe,  and  retires  as  early  as  March,  to  breed  in  the 
Alps  or  in  the  frigid  wilds  of  Sweden,  Norway,  Russia,  and 
penetrates  even  to  the  icy  shores  of  Greenland,   and  the 
heaths  of  Iceland.     About  the  same  period,  early  in  March, 
the  American  Woodcock  revisits  Pennsylvania,  and  soon 
after  the  New  England  or  Eastern  States.     Indeed  so  sed- 
entary is  the  species  at  times,  that  a  few  are  known  to  win- 
ter in  the  sheltered  forests  and  open  watery  glades  of  Penn- 
sylvania; at  the  same  season  also,  many  are  seen  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Natchez,  in  Mississippi.     According  to  their  usual 
habits,  they  keep  secluded  in  the  woods  and  thickets,  till  the, 
approach  of  evening,  when  they  sally  forth  to  seek  out  springs, 
paths,  and  broken  soil,  in  quest  of  worms  and  other  insects, 
on  which  they  feed.     They  now  disoerse  themselves  over 
the  country  to  breed,  and  indicate  their  presence  in  all  di- 
rections by  the  marks  of  their  boring  bills,  which  are  seen 
in  such  soft  and  boggy  places  as  are  usually  sheltered  by 
thickets  and  woods.     They  also  turn  over  the  fallen  leaves 
from  side  to  side  with  their  bills  in  quest  of  lurking  insects, 
but  never  scratch  with  their  feet,  though  so  robust  in  their 
appearance.     The  sensibility  possessed  by  the  extremity  of 
the  bill,  as  in  the  Snipe,  is  of  such  an  exquisite  nature,  that 
they  are  enabled  to  collect  their  food  by  the  mere  touch, 
without  using  their  eyes,  which  are  set  at  such  a  distance 
and  elevation  in  the  back  part  of  the  head,  as  to  give  the 
bird  a  remarkable  aspect  of  stupidity.     When  flushed  or  sur- 
prised in  their  hiding  places,  they  only  rise  in  a  hurried 
manner  to  the  tops  of  the  bushes,  or  glide  through  the  un- 
der growth  to  a  short  distance,  when  they  instantly  drop 
down  again,  and  run  out  for  some  space  on  touching  the 
ground,  lurking  as  soon  as  they  imagine  themselves  in  a 
safe  retreat.     At  times,  in  open  woods,  they  fiy  out  straight 
with  considerable  vigbr  and  swiftness,  but  the  effort,  from 


196 


WADING   BIRDS. 


V 


m 


the  shortness  of  the  wing,  is  always  attended  with  much 
muscular  exertion. 

Early  in  April,  the  Woodcocks  in  pairs  select  a  spot  for 
breeding,  which  is  generally  in  or  near  some  retired  part  of 
the  same  woods  which  usually  affords  them  their  food  and 
shelter.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground,  in  a  tuft  of 
grass,  or  in  the  protection  of  some  old  stump.  It  is  formed 
with  little  art,  of  such  withered  leaves  and  old  grass  as  the 
convenience  of  the  place  affords ;  the  eggs  are  4,  rather 
large,  of  a  dark  yellowish-white  approaching  olive,  specked 
and  confluently  blotched  with  three  slightly  different  shades 
of  dark  yellowish-brown  spots,  most  numerous  at  the  greater 
end.  Eggs  have  been  found,  even  in  Massachusetts,  in 
sheltered  woods,  as  early  as  the  month  of  February ;  but 
the  usual  time,  according  to  the  age  and  general  appearance 
of  the  young,  is  not  before  the  commencement  of  April. 
At  this  time,  in  the  morning,  as  well  as  evening,  but  more 
particularly  the  latter,  the  male,  in  the  vicinity  of  his  mate 
and  nest,  rises  successively  in  a  spiral  course,  like  a  Lark. 
While  ascending  he  utters  a  hurried  and  feeble  warble ;  but 
in  descending  the  tones  increase  as  he  approaches  towards 
the  ground,  and  then,  becoming  loud  and  sweet,  passes  into 
an  agreeable,  quick,  and  tumultuous  song.  As  soon  as  the 
performer  descends,  the  sound  ceases  for  a  moment,  when 
with  a  sort  of  stifled  utterance,  accompanied  by  a  stiff  and 
balancing  motion  of  the  body,  the  word  blaik,  and  some- 
times  joaip  palp  is  uttered.  This  uncouth  and  guttural 
bleating  seems  a  singular  contrast  to  the  delightful  sere- 
nade, of  which  this  is  uniformly  the  close.  I  heard  this 
piping  and  bleating  in  the  marshes  of  West  Cambridge,  on 
the  15th  of  April,  and  they  had  arrived  about  the  first  week 
in  that  month.  This  nocturnal  music  continued  at  regular 
intervals,  and  in  succession,  until  near  9  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  and  is  prolonged  for  a  number  of  days  during  the 


LESSER   WOODCOCK. 


107 


period  of  incubation,  probably  ceasing  with  the  new  cares 
attendant  on  the  hatching  of  the  brood.  The  female,  as  in 
the  European  species,  is  greatly  attached  to  her  nest,  and 
an  instance  is  related  to  me  of  a  hen  being  taken  up  from 
it,  and  put  on  again  without  attempting  to  fly.  Mr. 
Latham  mentions  a  female  of  the  common  Woodcock  sit- 
ting on  her  eggs  so  tamely,  that  she  suffered  herself  to  be 
stroked  on  the  back  without  offering  to  rise,  and  the  male, 
no  less  interested  in  the  common  object  of  their  cares,  sat 
also  close  at  hand.  The  European  species  has  had  the 
credit  of  exercising  so  much  ingenuity  and  affection,  as  to 
seize  upon  one  of  its  weakly  young,  and  carry  it  along  to  a 
place  of  security  from  its  enemies.  Mr.  Ives  of  Salem, 
once  on  flushing  an  American  Woodcock  from  its  nest,  was 
astonished  to  see  that  it  carried  off  in  its  foot  one  of  its  brood, 
the  only  one  which  happened  to  be  newly  hatched ;  and  as  the 
young  run  immediately  on  leaving  the  shell,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  little  nursling  could  be  well  reared,  or  all  of  them, 
as  they  might  appear,  without  the  aid  of  the  nest,  now  no 
longer  secured  from  intrusion.  In  New  England  this  highly 
esteemed  game  is  common  in  the  market  of  Boston  to  the 
close  of  October,  but  they  all  disappear  in  the  latter  part  of 
December.  In  this  quarter  of  the  Union  they  are  scarcely 
in  order  for  shooting  before  the  latter  end  of  July,  or  be- 
ginning of  August ;  but  from  this  time  to  their  departure, 
they  continue  in  good  condition  for  the  table. 

The  springes  or  springers,  set  for  Woodcocks  in  Europe, 
in  places  they  are  found  to  frequent  by  the  evidence  of  their 
borings,  &c.  are  commonly  formed  of  an  elastic  stick,  to 
which  is  fastened  a  horse-hair  noos3,  put  through  a  hole 
in  a  peg,  fastened  into  the  ground,  to  which  a  trigger  is 
annexed :  and  in  order  to  compel  the  Woodcock  to  walk 
into  the  trap,  an  extended  fence  is  made  on  each  side,  by 
small  sticks,  set  up  close  enough  to  prevent  the  bird  passing 
17* 


196 


WADINO   BIRDS. 


^ 


betweeen  them ;  these  concentrate  at  the  trap,  so  that  in 
this  funnel-shaped  fence,  the  bird,  in  feeding,  is  made  to 
pass  through  the  narrow  passage,  and  is  almost  to  a  cer- 
tainty caught  by  the  legs. 

As  the  season  advances,  and  food  begins  to  fail,  by  reason 
of  inclement  and  cold  weather,  the  Woodcocks  leave  the 
interior ;  and  approaching  the  shelter  of  the  sea  coast  and 
the  neighboring  marshes,  they  now  become  abundant,  and 
are,  at  such  times,  late  in  autumn,  killed  in  great  numbers. 
These  are  also  their  assembling  points  previous  to  their 
southern  migrations,  which  arc  performed  in  a  desultory  and 
irregular  manner,  their  motions,  as  usual,  being  mostly  noc- 
turnal, or  in  the  twilight ;  and  though  many  are  now  met 
with  in  the  same  low  meadows  and  marshes,  they  are  brought 
together  by  common  necessity,  and  never  move  in  concerted 
flocks.  At  this  season,  their  movements  are  not  betrayed 
by  any  note  or  call ;  the  vocal  powers  of  the  species  are  only 
called  into  existence  at  the  period  of  propagation  ;  at  other 
times  they  move  and  start  to  wing  in  silence.  The  young  run 
or  wander  off  as  soon  as  they  are  hatched,  are  at  this  period 
covered  with  a  brownish-white  down,  and,  on  being  taken, 
utter  a  slender  bleat,  or  clear  and  long  drawn  peep. 

The  American  Woodcock,  though  distinguished  by  the  epithet  of 
minor,  is  at  the  same  time  but  little  inferior  to  the  European  species, 
the  female  being  about  13j|  inchoa  from  the  tip  of  the  tail  to  the  point 
of  the  bill ;  and  the  male  12  inches  measured  in  the  same  way. 
The  transatlantic  bird  is  said  to  measure  15  inches  (female  ?)  Wil- 
son, however,  gives  to  the  male  only  lOJ  inches,  and  12  to  the  fe- 
male. Pennant  gives  llj^  inchos  to  the  species  without  any  dis- 
crimination of  sex.  To  reconcile  these  differences,  is,  I  confess,  not 
in  my  power,  but  such  is  the  fact,  as  I  have  stated,  drawn  from  the 
specimens  now  before  vie.  The  bill  of  my  longer  specimen  is 
2}  inches  in  a  state  of  desiccation.  Line  over  the  eye,  and  the 
whole  under  plumage  roddiuh-tawny,  paler  on  the  breast  and  belly, 
and  brightest  on  the  sides  beneath  the  wings.  Chin  white.  Fore- 
head, sides  of  the  neck  nearly  to  tlie  middle  of  the  throat  strongly 


RAILS. 


109 


tinged  with  cinereous  Line  from  the  eye  to  the  bill  blackish. 
Nape,  from  the  top  of  the  eye  backwards,  black,  crossed  by  3  nar- 
row pale  rufous  bands.  Cheeks  marked  with  a  faint  waving  bar  of 
black,  on  a  broadish  rufous  ground.  Back  and  scapulars  deep  black, 
waved  and  tipped  with  pale  and  light  rufous-tawny  bands,  spots  and 
zig-zags  ;  a  row  of  the  outer  scapulars  and  dorsal  feathers  on  each 
side  broadly  tipped  with  cinereous,  so  as  to  give  a  very  peculiar 
blotched  appearance  along  the  sides  of  the  back ;  tertiaries  and  larger 
coverts  dusky,  and  finely  zig-zagged  with  tawny.  Primaries  dusky, 
the  3  narrow  outermost  edged  with  tawny-white.  Tail  intensely 
black,  each  feather  spotted  on  the  edge,  and  terminated  with  a  nar- 
row rufous  subterminal  bar,  beyond  which,  they  each  end  in  a  sort 
of  oval  dusky  ash-colored  tip,  which  is  of  a  bright  silvery  white 
beneath.  Long  axillarics,  and  lining  of  the  wing,  rufous,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  broad  lead-colored  posterior  feathers,  with  faint 
marginal  tawny  spots.  Under  tail  coverts  long,  tliick  and  fibrous, 
the  lowest  deep  rust  color,  broadly  tipped  with  white.  Upper  tail 
coverts  very  similar  to  the  tail,  but  with  larger  dilute  rufous  spots, 
and  fewer  and  smaller  silvery  tips.  Feathers  of  the  back,  under  the 
wings,  black,  with  the  same  marginal  small  rufous  spots  and  tips : 
lateral  tail  coverts  bright  tawny,  with  faint  zig-zag  bars  of  black. 
Legs  and  feet  pale  reddish  flesh-color.     Eye  black  and  full. 

The  innumerable  bars  and  zig-zags  all  over  the  plumage  cf  the 
European  Woodcock  both  above  and  below,  as  well  as  on  the  quills, 
are  striking  traits  of  external  distinction  from  our  bird,  which  iias 
not  a  single  bar  or  spot  below,  nor  on  the  primaries.  The  tail  of  the 
European  bird  is  also  less  graduated,  and  the  feathers  all  of  a 
breadth;  the  rump  likewise  is  bright  rufous,  with  slender  duskj 
bars,  and  not  black.  Of  the  very  different  feet,  wings,  and  head, 
we  have  already  spoken,  and  which  appear  amply  sufficient  to  form 
a  subgenus. 


RAILS.     (Rallus,  Lin.) 

In  this  family  of  birds  the  bill,  varying  in  length,  is  thick  at  the 
base,  and  generally  straight  and  compressed ;  the  upper  mandible  is 
furrowed  on  each  side,  somewhat  arched,  and  curved  at  the  extrem- 
ity,  with  its  base  extending  upwards  between  the  feathers  of  the 


300 


WADINO    BIRDS. 


forehead.  Nostrils  situated  in  the  fbrrow  of  the  bill,  above  it« 
bate,  oblong  or  longitudinal,  pervious,  and  covered  at  base  by  a 
membrane.  Tongue,  narrow,  acute,  and  fibrous  at  tip.  Forehead 
feathered.  Legs,  naked  space  above  the  knee,  small ;  toes  wholly 
divided ;  hind  toe  equal  to  a  single  joint  of  the  middle  one,  and 
inserted  a  little  higher  than  the  rest.  Winga  moderate,  rounded ; 
the  1st  primary  shorter  than  the  2d,  3d,  and  4th,  which  are  longest. 
Tail  very  short,  of  12  rather  feeble  feathers,  not  extending  beyond 
their  coverts. 

The  plumage  of  the  sexes,  is,  in  general,  nearly  similar ;  but  the 
young  differ,  in  this  respect,  from  the  adult.  The  moult  takes  place 
twice  in  the  year,  without  any  change  in  the  livery.  The  body  is 
much  compressed.  * 

The  Rails  are  shy,  solitary,  and  very  timid  birds,  generally  residing 
in  reedy  and  sedgy  marshes,  in  the  vicinity  of  fresh  and  still  waters, 
provided  with  a  deep  covert  of  shrubs,  rushes  and  rank  herbage. 
When  surprised  they  run  much  oflener  tlian  fly,  and  skim  over 
watery  places  with  great  agility,  on  the  surface  of  the  leaves  of 
aquatic  plants,  rather  than  swim,  which  they  seldom  do  from  choice, 
though  they  also  dive  well,  if  necessary,  or  when  wounded  and  can 
remain  long  under  the  water.  Though  their  flight  is  ordinarily  so 
limited,  they  yet  perform  extensive  migrations.  They  walk  with 
ease  and  swiflness  ;  and  rarely  alight  any  where  but  on  the  ground. 
As  they  are  chiefly  nocturnal  in  their  motions,  they  remain  con* 
cealed  throughout  the  greatest  part  of  the  day,  chiefly  in  wet  and 
grassy  places,  and  turn  out  iii  quest  of  food  in  the  morning  or  eve- 
ning, or  by  the  advantage  of  the  moonlight.  In  the  breeding  season, 
however,  the  monogamous  parents  and  the  brood  they  have  jointly 
hatched,  are  not  unfrequently  seen  abroad  by  day.  They  breed  in 
marshes  and  thickets,  nesting  near  waters,  sometimes  even  forming  a 
nest  to  float,  and  attaching  it  to  the  contiguous  reeds.  They  feed 
upon  worms,  sofl  insects,  as  well  as  upon  vegetables,  and  their  seeds. 
Species  are  found  to  inhabit  every  part  of  the  world. 


\^: 


J» 


i#/: 


Subgenus.  —  Rallus,  (Bonap.) 


\ 


The  bill  longer  than  the  head,  rather  slender,  somewhat  curved, 
compressed  at  base,  rather  blunt  at  the  point :  upper  mandible  fur- 
towed  beyond  the  middle  :  nostrils  almost  basal  and  linear. 


^ 


''# 


and 


-j:>.,.. 


CLAPPER   RAIL.  801 


CLAPPER  RAIL. 

(Rallus  crepitans,  Gmel.  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  270.  Wilson,  vil.  p. 
112.  pi.  G2.  fig.  2.  [adult.]  Pxnn.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  407.  Phil. 
Museum,  No.  4400.) 

Sf.  CiiARACT.  —  Black,  skirted  with  olive-brown,  beneath  rufous; 
throat  white;  wing  coverts  chestnut;  first  primary  edged  ex- 
ternally with  pale  rusty.  Length  14  inches. —  Young,  greenish- 
ash,  beneath  whitish. 

The  Clapper  Rail  is  a  numerous  and  well  known  species 
in  all  the  Middle  and  Southern  StateSj  bnt  is  unknown  in 
this  part  of  New  England,  or  in  any  direction  further  to 
the  north,  being  unnoticed  by  Richardson  in  his  Northern 
Zoology.  According  to  Wilson,  it  arrives  on  the  coast  of 
New  Jersey  about  the  20th  of  April,  and  probably  winters 
within  the  southern  boundaries  of  the  Union,  or  in  the 
marshes  along  the  extensive  coast  of  the  Mexican  Gulf,  as 
they  are  seen  by  February  on  the  shores  of  Georgia,  in  great 
numbers.  In  the  course  of  their  migrations,  in  the  hours 
of  twilight,  they  are  often  heard  on  their  way,  in  the  spring, 
by  fishermen  and  coastersT"^  Their  general  residence  is  in 
salt  marshes>  occasionally  penetrating  a  short  distance  up 
the  large  rivers,  as  far  as  the  bounds  of  tide  water.  In  the 
vast  flat  and  grassy  marshes  of  New  Jersey,  intersected  by 
innumerable  tide-water  ditches,  their  favorite  breeding  re- 
sorts, they  are  far  more  numerous  than  all  the  other  marsh 
fowl  collectively. 

The  arrival  of  the  Mud  Hen  (another  of  their  common  ap- 
pellations,) is  soon  announced  through  all  the  marshes, 
by  its  loud,  harsh  and  incessant  cackle,  heard  principally  in 
the  night,  and  is  most  frequent  at  the  approach  of  a  storm. 
About  the  middle  of  May  they  commence  laying,  dropping 
the  first  egg  into  a  slight  cavity  scratched  for  its  reception. 


>■»»»    ¥•'  -r-" 


803 


WADINO   DIRDe. 


\ 


and  lined  with  a  small  portion  of  dry^rass,  as  may  be  con- 
venient. During  the  progress  of  laying  the  complement  of 
about  10  eggs,  the  nest  is  gradually  increased,  until  it  at- 
tains about  the  height  of  a  foot;  a  precaution  or  instinct 
which  seems  either  to  contemplate  the  possibility  of  an  ac- 
cess of  the  tide  water,  or  to  be  a  precaution  to  conceal  the 
eggs  or  young,  as  the  interest  in  their  charge  increases. 
And  indeed  to  conceal  the  whole  with  more  success,  the  long 
sedge  grass  is  artfully  brought  together  in  an  arch  or  canopy, 
but,  however  this  art  and  ingeruiity  may  succeed  in  ordinary 
cases,  it  only  serves  to  expose  the  nest  to  the  search  of  the 
fowler,  who  can  thus  distinguish  their  labors  at  a  consid- 
erable distance.  The  eggs,  more  than  an  inch  in  breadth, 
and  about  If  in  length,  are  of  the  usual  oval  figure  ;  of  a 
yellowish-white  or  dull  cream  color,  sparingly  spotted  with 
brown-red,  and  a  few  other  interspersed  minute  touches  of 
a  subdued  tint,  bordering  on  lilac-purple ;  as  usual  there 
are  very  few  spots  but  towards  the  obtuse  end.  The  eggs  are 
much  esteemed  for  food,  being  frequently  collected  by  the 
neighboring  inhabitants,  and  so  abundant  are  the  nests  in 
the  marshes  of  New  Jersey,  that  a  single  person,  accustom- 
ed to  the  search,  has  been  known  to  collect  a  hundred  dozen 
in  the  course  of  a  day.  Like  other  gregarious  and  inoffen- 
sive birds,  they  have  numerous  enemies  besides  man  ;  and 
the  crow,  fox,  and  minx,  come  in  for  their  share,  not  only 
of  the  eggs  and  young,  but  also  devour  the  old  birds  besides. 
From  the  pounce  of  the  hawk  they  can  more  readily  de- 
fend themselves  by  dodging  and  threading  their  invisible 
paths  through  the  sedge.  The  nature  of  the  ground  they 
select  for  their  nurseries,  and  its  proximity  to  the  sea,  ren- 
ders their  thronging  community  liable  also  to  accidents  of 
a  more  extensively  fatal  kind ;  and  sometimes  afler  the  preva- 
lence of  an  eastwardly  storm,  not  uncommon  in  the  early 
part  of  June,  the  marshes  become  inundated  by  the  access 


\ 


•^i 


"*-    ■'  -  —  ■■  -^  i\  ■■!'■  iii>*iH 


CLAPPER    RAIL. 


303 


of  the  Ma,  and  great  numbers  of  the  Rails  periiih ;  at  least, 
the  females,  now  sitting,  are  so  devoted  to  their  eggs,  as  to 
remain  on  the  nest  and  drown,  rather  than  desert  it.     At 
such  times,  the  moles,  <  scaping  iutin  the  deluge,  and  such 
of  their  mates  as  have  not  yet  begun  to  §it,  arc  seen  by 
hundreds,  walking  about,  exposed   and  bewildered,  while 
the  shores,  for  a  great  extent,  are  strewed  with  the  dead 
bodies  of  the  luckless  females.     The  survivori*,  however, 
wasting  no  time  in  fruitless  regret,  soon  commence  to  nest 
anew,   and  sometimes,  when  their  nurseries  have  been  a 
second  time  destroyed  by  the  sea,  in  a  short  time  ailer,  so 
strong  is  the  instinct  and  vigor  of  the  species,  that  the  nests 
seem  as  numerous  in  the  marshes,  as  though  nothing  de- 
structive had  ever  happened,  fnirj 
The  young  of  the  Clapper  Rail  are  clad,  at  first,  in  the 
same  black  down  as  those  of  the  Virginian  species,  and  are 
only  distinguishable  by  their  superior  size,  by  having  a  sf\,t 
of  white  on  their  auriculars,  and  a  line  of  the  same  color 
along  the  side  of  the  breast,  belly,  and  fore  part  of  the  thigh. 
They  run  very  nimbly  through  the  grass  and  rv^eds,  so  as  to 
be  taken  with  considerable  difficulty,  and  are  thus,  at  this 
early  period,  like  their  parents,  without  the  aid  of  their 
wings,  capable  of  eluding  almost  every  natural  enemy  they 
may  encounter.     Indeed,  the  principal  defence  of  the  spe- 
cies seems  to  be  in  the  vigor  of  their  limbs,  and  the  com- 
pressed form  of  their  bodies,  which  enables  them  to  pass 
through  the  grass  and  herbage  with  the  utmost  rapidity  and 
silence.     They  have  also  their  covered  paths  throughout  the 
marshes,  hidden  by  the  matted  grass,  and  through  which 
they  run  like  rats  without  ever  being  seen  ;  when  close 
pressed,  they  can  even  escape  the  scent  of  a  dog,  by  diving 
over  ponds  or  inlets,  rising,  and  then  again  vanishing  with 
the  silence  and  celerity  of  something  supernatural.     In  still 
pools  it  swims  pretty  well,  but  not  fast,  sitting  high  on  the 


204 


WADING   BIRDS. 


i 


water,  with  the  neck  erect,  and  striking  with  a  hurried  rapid- 
ity, indicative  of  the  distrust  of  its  progress  in  that  element, 
which  it  immediately  abandons  on  approaching  the  leaves 
of  any   floating  plants,   particularly  the  pond  lilies,  over 
whose  slightly  buoyant  foliage  it  darts  with  a  nimbleness 
and  dexterity  that  defies  its  pursuers,  and  proves,  that  how- 
ever well  it  may  be  fitted  for  an  aquatic  life,  its  principal 
progress,  and  that  on  which  it  most  depends,  when  closely 
followed,  is  by  land  rather  than  in  the  air  or  the  water. 
When  thus  employed,  it  runs  with  an  outstretched  neck  and 
erected  tail,  and  like  the  wily  Corn  Crake,  is  the  very  pic- 
ture  of  haste   and   timidity.     On   fair  ground,   they  run 
nearly  as  fast  as  a  man.     When  hard  pushed,  they  will  be- 
take themselves  sometimes  to  the  water,  remaining  under 
for  several  minutes,  and  holding  on  closely  to  the  roots  of 
grass  or  herbage,  with  the  head  downwards,  so  as  to  render 
themselves  generally  wholly  invisible.      When  roused   at 
length  to  flight,  they  proceed  almost  with  the  velocity  and 
in  the  manner  of  a  duck,  flying  low,  and  with  the  neck 
stretched ;  but  such  is  their  aversion  to  take  wing,  and  their 
fondness  for  skulking,  that  the  marshes  in  which  hundreds 
of  these  birds  reside,  may  be  crossed  without  ever  seeing 
one  of  them ;  nor  will  they  rise  to  a  dog  till  they  have  led 
him  into  a  labyrinth,  and  he  is  on  the  very  point  of  seizing 
them.  .  - 

The  food  of  the  Clapper  Rail  consists  of  various  insects, 
small  univalve  shell-fish,  and  Crustacea  (minute  crabs,  &.c.) 
Their  flesh  is  dry,  tastes  sedgy,  and  is  far  inferior  in  flavor 
with  that  of  the  Common  Rail  or  Soree.  Early  in  October 
they  retire  to  the  south,  and  probably  migrate  in  the  twilight, 
or  by  the  dawn  of  morning. 

This  species  measures  14  inches  in  length,  and  18  in  alar  extent. 
The  bill  2^  inches,  of  a  reddish-brown  color.  Irids  dark  red.  Crown, 
neck  and  back,  black,  streaked  with  dusky-brown.    Chin,  and  line 


LESSER    CLAPPER   RAIL. 


205 


over  the  eye,  brownish- white  :  auriculars  dusky.  Neck  before,  and 
whole  breast,  red-brown.  Wing  coverts  deep  chestnut.  Primaries 
plain  dusky.  Flanks  and  vent  black,  tipped  or  barred  with  white. 
Legs  reddish-brown.    The  sexes  nearly  alike  in  plumage. 


LESSER  CLAPPER  RAIL. 

(Rallus  virginianus,  Lin.  Virginian  Rail,  Wilson,  vii.  p.  109.  pi. 
62.  fig.  1.  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  408.  Edwards,  279.  Lath. 
Synops.  iii.  p.  228.  No.  1.  var.  ^.    Phil.  Museum,  No.  442C.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Black,  skirted  with  olive-brown;  beneath  rufous; 
throat  white  ;  wing  coverts  chestnut ;  first  primary  entirely  dusky. 
Length  10  inches.  —  Female  and  young  much  paler. 

The  Virginian  or  Lesser  Clapper  Rail,  scarcely  dis- 
tinguishable from  the  preceding  but  by  its  inferior  size,  is 
likewise  a  near  representative  of  the  Water  Rail  of  Europe, 
with  whose  habits  in  all  respects  it  nearly  agrees.  But  in 
every  part  of  America  it  appears  to  be  a  rare  species  com- 
pared with  the  Mud  Hen,  or  common  Clapper  Rail.  It  is 
also  wholly  confined  to  the  fresh-water  marshes,  and  never 
visits  the  borders  of  the  sea.  In  New  Jersey  it  is  indeed 
ordinarily  distinguished  as  the  Fresh-Water  Mud  Hen ;  so 
constant  is  this  predilection,  connected  probably  with  its 
choice  of  food,  that  when  met  with  in  salt  marshes,  it  is 
always  in  the  vicinity  of  fresh-water  springs,  which  ooze 
through  them,  or  occupy  their  borders.  From  this  pecu- 
liarity in  its  choice  of  wet  grounds,  it  is  consequently  seen 
in  the  interior,  in  the  vicinity  of  bogs  and  swampy  thick- 
ets, as  far  west  as  the  states  of  Ohio,  Kentucky,  and  proba- 
bly Illinois  and  Michigan.  Its  migrations,  however,  along 
the  neighborhood  of  the  coast,  do  not  extend  probably  fur- 
ther than  the  shores  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  as  it  is  unknown 
in  the  remote  fur  countries  of  the  north,  and  retires  from 
18 


/' 


206 


WADING   BIRDS. 


the  Middle  States  in  November,  at  the  commencement  of 
frost.  It  revisits  Pennsylvania  early  in  May,  and  is  soon 
after  seen  in  the  fresh  marshes  of  this  part  of  Massachu- 
setts. How  far  they  retire,  in  the  course  of  the  winter, 
towards  the  south,  is  yet  unknown,  though  from  its  absence, 
apparently  from  the  warmer  parts  of  the  continent,  it  pro- 
bably migrates  little  farther  than  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  Union.  Its  habit  of  closely  hiding  in  almost  inaccessi- 
ble swamps  and  marshes,  renders  it  a  difficult  task  even  to 
ascertain  its  presence  at  any  time ;  and,  like  the  preceding, 
it  skulks  throughout  most  part  of  the  day  in  the  long  sedge 
and  rushes,  only  venturing  out  to  feed  in  the  shade  and  ob- 
scurity of  the  twilight.  Its  food  is  most  commonly  marsh 
insects  and  their  larvse,  as  well  as  small  worms  and  univalve 
shell-fish,  rarely,  if  ever,  partaking  of  vegetable  diet. 

The  Virginian  Rail  commences  laying  soon  after  its  arri- 
val, in  the  early  part  of  May.  The  nest,  situated  in  the 
wettest  part  of  the  marsh,  is  fixed  in  the  bottom  of  a  sedgy 
tussock,  and  composed  of  withered  grass  and  rushes.  The 
eggs,  from  6  to  10,  are  almost  exactly  of  the  form  and  color 
of  those  of  the  preceding  species,  and  are  equally  similar 
with  those  of  the  European  Water  Rail,  being  of  a  dirty 
white,  or  pale  cream  color,  sprinkled  with  specks  of  brown- 
ish-red and  pale  purple,  most  numerous  at  the  great  end.  In 
the  Middle  States,  they  are  believed  to  raise  two  broods  in 
the  season.  The  female  is  so  much  attached  to  her  eggs,  after 
sitting,  as  sometimes  to  allow  of  being  taken  up  by  the  hand 
rather  than  desert  the  premises,  which  affection  appears  the 
more  necessary,  as  the  male  seems  to  desert  his  mate,  and 
leave  her  in  the  sole  charge  of  her  little  family. 

About  the  18th  of  June,  in  this  vicinity,  in  a  wet  part 
of  the  salt  marsh,  making  into  a  fresh  meadow,  near  Charles' 
River,  one  moonlight  evening  as  late  as  9  o'clock,  I  heard 
a  busy  male  of  this  species,  calling  out  at  short  intervals,  in 


LESSER    CLAPPER   RML. 


207 


a  guttural,  creaking  tone,  almost  like  the  sound  of  a 
watchman's  rattle,  'kut-a-eut  tee'dh,  the  call  sometimes  a 
little  varied.  At  this  time,  no  doubt,  his  mate  was  some- 
where sitting  on  her  eggs,  in  some  tufl  of  the  tall  marine 
grass  (Spartina  glabra,)  which  overhung  the  muddy  inlet 
near  which  he  took  his  station.  The  young,  for  some  time 
after  being  hatched,  are  covered  wholly  with  a  jet  black 
down,  and  running  with  agility,  are  now  sometimes  seen, 
near  the  deep  marshes,  straying  into  the  uplands  and  drier 
places,  following  the  careful  mother  much  in  the  manner  of 
a  hen  with  her  brood  of  chickens.  When  separated  from 
the  parent,  at  a  more  advanced  age,  their  slender  peep,  peep, 
peep  is  heard,  and  soon  answered  by  the  attentive  parent. 
The  female,  when  startled  in  her  watery  retreat,  often  utters 
a  sharp  squeaking  scream,  apparently  close  at  hand,  whicH 
sounds  like  ^keelc,  'keek,  'kek;  on  once  approaching,  as  I 
thought,  the  author  of  this  discordant  and  timorous  cry,  it 
still  slowly  receded,  but  always  appeared  within  a  few  feet 
of  me,  and,  at  length,  pressing  the  pursuit  pretty  closely, 
she  rose  for  a  little  distance,  with  hanging  legs,  and  settled 
down  into  a  ditch,  among  some  pond  lily  leaves,  over  which 
she  darted,  and  again  disappeared  in  her  paths  through  the 
tall  sedge,  screaming  at  intervals,  as  I  now  found,  to  give 
warning  to  a  brood  of  young,  which  had  at  first  probably 
accompanied  her,  and  impeded  her  progress. 

When  seen,  which  is  but  rarely,  the  Virginian  Rail,  like 
the  other  species,  stands  or  runs,  with  the  neck  outstretched, 
and  with  the  short  tail  erect,  and  frequently  jerked.  They 
are  never  seen  to  perch  on  trees  or  shrubs,  and  are  most  of 
the  time  on  their  feet.  Their  flesh  is  scarcely  inferior  to 
that  of  the  Common  Rail,  but  their  scarcity  and  diminutive 
size,  relieve  them  from  much  attention  as  game.  Late  in 
autumn,  a  little  time  previous  to  their  departure,  they  occa- 
Bionally  wander  out  into  the  neighboring  salt  marshes,  sit- 


MNMH 


208 


WADING   BIRDS. 


uated  at  a  distance  from  the  sea,  a  route  by  which,  in  aU 
probability,  they  proceed  in  a  solitary  and  desultory  manner 
towards  the  milder  regions  of  the  south.  At  this  time  also, 
they  often  roost  among  the  reeds^  by  ponds,  in  company 
with  the  different  kinds  of  black  birds,  clinging,  no  doubt,  to 
the  fallen  stalks,  on  which  they  pass  the  night  over  the  water. 
They  swim  and  dive  also,  with  ease  and  elegance ;  but  like 
their  whole  tribe,  of  Long-Footed  Birds,  they  are  swiftest 
on  land,  and,  when  pushed,  depend  upon  their  celerity  over 
the  covered  marsh  as  a  final  resort.  ' 

The  Small  Mud  Hen  is  about  10  inches  in  length ;  and  14  in  alar 
extent.  The  bill  near  1|  inches  long,  dusky  above,  bright  yellowish- 
brown  below.  Iris  red.  Cheeks  and  stripe  over  the  eye,  ash  :  over 
the  lores,  and  at  the  lower  eye-lid  white.  Crown,  and  all  the  upper 
parts  black,  the  feathers  edged  with  olive-brown,  more  broadly  on 
the  back  and  scapulars,  which  last  are  scarcely  longer  than  the 
ordinary  feathers  of  the  back.  Wing  coverts  chestnut.  Quills  all 
plain  deep  dusky.  Chin  white.  Throat,  breast  and  belly,  reddish- 
brown.  Sides  and  vent  black,  with  distant  transverse  white  bars. 
Under  tail  coverts  white,  with  pale  brownish  edges,  and  oblong  black 
spots  along  the  shafts ;  shoulder  of  the  wing  and  the  feathers  of  its 
lining,  edged  with  white.  Legs  and  feet  dusky  reddish-brown  :  the 
tarsus  1^  inches ;  the  middle  claw,  with  its  nail,  1|  inches.  —  The 
female  is  about  half  an  inch  shorter,  with  the  breast  much  paler, 
and  with  more  white  on  the  chin  and  throat. 


Subgenus.  —  Crex.  (Bonap.) 

The  hill  shorter  than  the  head,  robust,  much  higher  than  wide  at 
the  base,  tapering,  compressed,  and  acute  at  the  point ;  upper  man- 
dible furrowed  at  base  only,  a  little  curved  at  the  extremity  ;  lower 
navicular;  nostrils  oblong,  medial.  —  These  birds,  with  the. aspect  of 
our  domestic  fowls,  live  as  much  on  vegetables  as  aniroalg. 


h,  in  all 
i  manner 
;ime  also, 
company 
doubt,  to 
he  water, 
but  like 
I  swiftest 
irity  over 


14  m  alar 
yrellowish- 
ash :  over 
the  upper 
roadly  on 
than  the 
Quills  all 
,  reddish- 
liite  bars, 
ong  black 
lers  of  its 
own :  the 
es.  —  The 
ich  paler, 


1  wide  at 
jper  man- 
ly ;  lower 
aspect  of 


CAROLINA  RAIL. 

(Rallus  carolinus,  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  272.  Rail,  Wilson,  vi.  p.  27. 
pi.  48.  fig.  1.  [male.]  Gallinula  Carolina,  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  771. 
sp.  17.  Soree  Gallinule,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  491.  No.  409. 
Soree,  Catesby,  i.  p.  70.  Little  American  Water  Hen,  (Galli- 
nula minor,)  Edw.  pi.  144.  Le  Rdle  de  Virginie,  Buff.  Ois.  viii. 
p.  1C5.     Phil.  Museum,  No.  442G.; 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Varied  with  olive-brown  and  black ;  feathers  of  the 
back  and  wings  penciled  with  white  margins ;  breast  and  flanks 
mostly  slate  color,  the  latter  waved  with  white  ;  edge  of  the  1st 
primary  white.  —  Male  with  the  centre  of  the  throat  black.  In 
the  female  and  young  the  throat  is  white. 

The  Soree,  or  Common  Rail  of  America,  which  assem- 
Ble  in  such  numbers  on  the  reedy  shores  of  the  larger  rivers, 
in  the  Middle  and  adjoining  warmer  States,  at  the  approach 
of  autumn,  and  which  afford  such  abundant  employ  to 
the  sportsman,  at  that  season,  like  most  of  the  tribe  to 
which  it  belongs,  is  a  bird  of  passage,  wintering  generally 
south  of  the  limits  of  the  Union.  They  begin  to  make 
18* 


210 


WADING   BtltDS. 


their  appearance,  in  the  marshes  of  Georgia,  by  the  close  df 
February ;  and,  on  the  2d  of  May,  Wilson  observed  them 
in  the  low  watery  meadows  below  Philadelphia.    In  the  re- 
mote fur  countries  of  the  north,  up  to  the  62d  parallel,  they 
are  common  through  the  summer,  and  were  observed  by 
Dr.  Richardson  to  be  particularly  abundant  on  the  banks  of 
the  small  lakes,  that  skirt  the  Saskatchewan  plains.     In  the 
vast  reedy  marshes,  swamps  and  lagoons,  of  these  desolate 
regions,  the  greater  part  of  the  species  are  no  doubt  reared, 
as  but  few  of  them  are  ever  known  to  breed  in  the  warmer 
parts  of  the  continent,  and  the  history  of  their  manners,  at 
the  period  of  incubation,  is,  therefore,  still  a  blank.     The 
observations  of  persons  not  conversant  with  the  nice  dis- 
tinctions necessary  in  natural  history,  ought  to  be  received 
with  caution,  as  they  might  easily  confound  the  mere  young 
of  the  present  and  the  preceding  species,  as  one  and  the 
same.     The  alleged  nest,  eggs,  and  young  birds  covered 
with  a  black  down,  mentioned  by  Wilson,  agree  perfectly 
with  the  Virginian  Rail ;  but  the  length  of  the  bill,  and 
any  other  discriminating  particulars   are  wholly  omitted. 
We  may  conclude,  therefore,  up  to  the  present  time,  that 
the  actual  young  and  nest  of  the  Soree  are  yet  unknown, 
and  that  all  which  has  been  said  on  this  subject  is  but  con- 
jecture, or  a  misapplication  of  facts  belonging  to  the  prece- 
ding species. 

Like  the  other  migrating  waders,  the  Rails,  accompanied 
by  their  swarming  broods,  bred  in  the  north  and  west,  be- 
gin to  show  themselves  on  the  reedy  borders  of  the  Dela- 
ware, and  other  large  waters  of  the  Middle  States,  whose 
still  and  sluggish  streams,  spreading  out  over  muddy  flats, 
give  birth  lo  an  abundant  crop  of  the  seeds  of  the  Wild 
Rice,*  now  the  favorite  food  of  the  Rails  and  the  Rice 

"<■  Zizatiia  aq\iati~n,  and  Z.  clavulosa,  the  latter  species  moat  prevolpiii   ::*  the 
western  waters. 


CAROLINA  RAIL. 


211 


Birds.*  On  first  arriving,  from  the  labor  and  privation 
incident  to  their  migrations,  they  are  lean,  and  little  valued 
as  food ;  but  as  their  favorite  natural  harvest  begins  to  swell 
out  and  approach  maturity,  they  rapidly  fatten  ;  and,  from 
the  middle  of  September  to  the  same  time  in  October,  the/ 
are  in  excellent  order  for  the  table,  and  eagerly  sought 
afler  wherever  a  gun  can  be  obtained  and  brought  into 
operation. 

Walking  by  the  borders  of  these  reedy  rivers,  in  ordinary 
seasons,  you  hear,  in  all  directions,  the  crowding  Rails 
squeaking  like  young  puppies.  If  a  stone  be  thrown  in 
amongst  them,  there  is  a  general  outcry  through  the  reeds,  a 
confused  and  reiterated  ^kuk  'kuk  'kuk  'k'k  'k'k,  resounds 
from  the  covered  marsh,  and  is  again  renewed  by  the  timid 
throng,  on  the  discharge  of  a  gun  or  any  other  sudden  noise 
within  their  hearing.  The  Rails,  however  numerous,  are 
scarcely  visible,  unless  it  be  at  or  near  to  high  water ;  for 
when  the  tide  is  down,  they  have  the  art  so  well  to  conceal 
themselves  among  the  reeds,  that  you  may  walk  past  and 
even  over  them,  where  there  are  hundreds,  without  seeing 
probably  a  single  individual. 

The  flight  of  the  Rails,  while  confined  among  the  rice 
reeds,  is  low,  feeble  and  fluttering,  with  the  legs  hanging 
down,  as  if  the  eflbrt  were  unnatural  and  constrained,  which 
may,  no  doubt,  at  times,  be  produced  by  the  extreme  cor- 
pulency which  they  attain  in  a  favorable  season  for  food ; 
yet,  occasionally,  they  will  ise  to  a  considerable  height, 
and  cross  considerable  streams  without  any  reluctance  or 
difficulty ;  so  that  however  short  may  be  their  wings,  the 
muscles  by  which  they  are  set  in  motion  are  abundantly 
sufficient  to  provide  them  the  means  of  pursuing  the  de- 
liberate stages  of  their  migratory  course.     Wherever  the 

*  The  name  given  to  the  Bobolinks  and  tlieir  brood,  wlien  in  their  Sparrow  drem 
{Icterus  agripemiis.) 


313 


WADING   BIRDd. 


Zizania  and  its  nutritious  grain  abounds,  there  the  Rails 
are  generally  seen.  In  the  reedy  lakes  of  Michigan,  as 
well  as  the  tide-water  streams  of  the  Atlantic,  these  birds 
are  found  congregated,  in  quest  of  their  favorite  food.  In 
Virginia,  they  are  particularly  abundant  along  the  grassy 
banks  of  James'  River,  within  the  bounds  of  tide  water, 
where  they  are  often  taken  in  the  night,  while  perched 
among  the  reeds;  being  stupified  by  the  glare  of  a  fire 
carried  in  among  them,  they  are  then  easily  approached  by 
a  boat,  and  rudely  knocked  on  the  head  Vvith  a  paddle ; 
sometimes  in  such  quantities,  that  three  negroes,  in  as  many 
hours,  have  been  known  to  kill  from  20  to  80  dozen. 

Fear  seems  to  be  a  ruling  passion  among  the  whole  tribe 
of  Rails  and  their  kindred  allies ;  with  faculties  for  acting 
in  the  day,  timidity  alone  seems  to  have  rendered  them 
almost  nocturnal  in  their  actions ;  their  sole  address  and 
cunning  seems  entirely  employed  in  finding  out  means  of 
concealment ;  this  is  particularly  the  case  when  wounded ; 
they  then  swim  out  and  dive  with  so  much  caution  as  sel- 
dom to  be  seen  again  above  water ;  they  even  cling  with 
their  feet  to  the  reeds  beneath  that  element,  where  they 
would  sooner  endure  suffocation  than  expose  themselves 
with  any  chance  of  being  seen ;  they  often  also  skulk,  on 
ordinary  occasions,  under  the  floating  reeds,  with  nothing 
more  than  the  bill  above  water.  At  other  times,  when 
wounded,  they  will  dive,  and  rise  under  the  gunwale  of  the 
sportsman's  boat,  and  secreting  themselves  there,  have  the 
cunning  to  go  round  as  the  vessel  moves,  until,  given  up  as 
lost,  they  find  an  opportunity  of  completing  their  escape. 

According  to  the  observations  of  Mr.  Ord,  the  females, 
more  particularly,  are  sometimes  so  affected  by  fear,  or 
some  other  passion,  as  to  fall  into  sudden  fits,  and  appear 
stretched  out  as  lifeless,  recovering,  after  a  while,  the  use  of 
their  faculties,  and  falling  again  into  syncope,  on  merely 


CAROLINA   RAIL. 


213 


presenting  the  finger  in  a  threatening  attitude.  At  sr  H 
times,  and  during  their  obstinate  divings,  they  often  lu-i 
victims,  no  doubt,  to  their  enemies  in  the  watery  element, 
as  they  are  sometimes  seized  by  eels  and  other  voracious 
fish,  who  lie  in  wait  for  them ;  so  that  the  very  excess  of 
their  fear  and  caution  hurries  them  into  additional  dangers, 
and  frustrates  the  intention  of  this  instinct  for  preservation. 
The  swooning,  to  which  they  appear  subject,  is  not  uncom- 
mon with  some  small  and  delicate  irritable  birds,  and  Cana- 
ries are  often  liable  to  these  death-like  spasms,  into  which 
they  also  fall  at  the  instigation  of  some  immaterial  or  trifling 
excitement  of  a  particular  kind. 

During  the  greater  part  of  the  months  of  September  and 
October,  the  market  of  Philadelphia  is  abundantly  supplied 
with  this  highly  esteemed  game,  and  they  are  usually  sold 
at  from  50  cents  to  a  dollar  the  dozen.  But  soon  after  the 
first  frosts  of  October,  or  towards  the  close  of  that  month, 
they  all  move  off  to  the  south.  In  Virginia,  they  usually 
remain  until  the  first  week  in  November.  In  the  vicinity 
of  Cambridge,  (Mass.)  a  few,  as  a  rarity  only,  are  now  and 
then  seen  in  the  course  of  the  autumn,  in  the  Zizania 
patches  which  border  the  outlet  of  Fresh  Pond ;  but  none 
are  either  known  or  suspected  to  breed  in  any  part  of  this 
state,  where  they  are,  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  every  where 
uncommon. 

The  usual  method  of  shooting  Rail  on  the  Delaware, 
according  to  Wilson,  is  as  follows.  The  spovtsman  proceeds 
to  the  scene  of  action  in  a  batteau,  with  an  experienced 
boatman,  who  propels  the  boat  with  a  pole.  About  two 
hours  before  high  water,  they  enter  the  reeds,  the  sportsman 
taking  his  place  in  the  bow  ready  for  action ;  while  the 
boatman  on  the  stern  seat  pushes  her  steadily  through  the 
reeds,  The  Rails  generally  spring  singly,  as  the  boat  ad- 
vances, and  at  a  short  distance  ahead,  are  instantly  shot 


:>  I 


.?Ml»^<^>«^<<l|i*v,«c»Mf«M» 


'  «-»,.Ja...  •■fe..-( 


214 


WADINO    BIRDS. 


down,  while  the  boatman,  keeping  his  eye  on  the  spot  where 
the  bird  fell,  directs  the  vessel  forward,  and  picks  it  up  as 
the  gunner  is  loading.  In  this  manner  the  boat  continues 
through  and  over  the  wild-rice  marsh,  the  birds  flashing  and 
falling,  the  gunner  loading  and  firing,  while  the  helmsman 
is  pushing  and  picking  up  the  game ;  which  sport  continues 
till  an  hour  or  two  after  high  water,  when  its  shallowness, 
and  the  strength  and  weight  of  the  floating  reeds,  as  also 
the  unwillingness  of  the  game  to  spring  as  the  tide  de- 
creases, oblige  them  to  return.  Several  boats  are  some- 
times within  a  short  distance  of  each  other,  and  a  perpetual 
cracking  of  musketry  prevails  along  the  whole  reedy  shores 
of  the  river.  In  these  excursions,  it  is  not  uncommon  for  an 
active  and  expert  marksman  to  kill  ten  or  twelve  dozen  in 
the  serving  of  a  single  tide. 

The  Soree  or  Rail  is  about  9  inches  or  a  little  more  in  length :  and 
14  in  alar  extent.  The  bill  yellow,  blackish  towards  the  point  above, 
a  little  more  than  }  of  an  inch  long,  and  a  little  short  of  i^  an 
inch  in  vertical  breadth.  Lores,  front,  crown  in  the  centre,  chin, 
and  stripe  down  the  throat,  black.  Line  over  the  eye  curved  to  the 
front,  cheeks  and  breast  clear  ash  color.  Sides  >"  the  crown,  and 
upper  parts  generally  brown-olive,  the  feathers  largely  centered  with 
black  on  the  back,  scapulars  and  tertiaries,  which  feathers  are 
elegantly  marked  with  subterminal  lateral  borders  of  pure  white, 
but  broadly  tipt  with  brown-olive,  (in  some  specimens  a  few  of  the 
larger  tertiaries  are  spotted  and  partly  barred  with  white  on  their 
outer  webs.)  The  sides  of  the  head,  neck,  and  the  wing  coverts 
are  almost  wholly  brown-olive.  Wing  plain  dusky  olive-brown ;  the 
exterior  edge  white.  Tail  pointed,  dusky-brown  olive,  faintly  cen- 
tered with  black  ;  the  two  or  four  middle  feathers,  for  half  their 
length,  faintly  bordered  on  the  inner  webs  with  white.  Under  plu- 
mage ;  lower  part  of  the  breast  marked  with  transverse  curving  bars 
of  white  on  a  light  ash  ground.  Centre  of  the  belly  white,  sides 
barred  with  black  and  white,  with  a  mixture  of  olive-brown.  Vent 
buff.  Legs  and  feet  yellowish-green.  Middle  toe  with  its  nail  1| 
inches ;  nail  much  compressed  and  hooked ;  tarsus  1  inch  3  to  4  lines. 
Irids  reddish  hazel. 


YELLOW-BREASTED    RAIL. 


215 


The  female  and  young  of  the  year  have  the  throat  nearly  white, 
the  breast  palo  brown,  and  little  or  no  black  on  the  head.  The 
young  are  also  much  smaller,  and  the  pale  brown  tint  prevails  over 
all  the  lower  plumage,  with  a  slight  indication  of  ash  only  on 
the  throat :  the  front  and  sides  of  the  head  are  also  brown.  The 
rump  and  adjoining  part  of  the  sides  is  much  brighter  rufous  than  in 
the  adult. 


YELLOW-BREASTED  RAIL. 

(Rallus  noveboraccnsis,  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  373.  Am.  Orn.  iv.  p.  136, 
pi.  27.  fig.  2.  [young.]  Gallinula  novehoracensis,  Lath.  ii.  p.  771. 
sp.  IC.  Fulica  noveboraceiisis,  Gmel.  Syst.  i.  p.  701.  sp.  15.  Per' 
dix  hudsonica?  Ibid.  ii.  p.  G55.  sp.  41.  Yelloio- Breasted  Galli- 
nule,  Lath,  and  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  491.  No.  410.  Ralltis 
rujicollis,  Viexll.  Gal.  des  Ois.  p.  1C8.  t.  2GG.  American  Mu- 
seum, in  New  York.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Black,  skirted  with  pale  olive-brown,  and  varied 
all  over  with  narrow  transverse  white  bars ;  beneath  yellowish- 
brown  and  waved ;  lower  wing  coverts  and  a  great  part  of  the 
secondaries,  white  —  Female  duller,  and  the  legs  lineated. 

The  Yellow-Breasted  Rail,  though  found  sparingly  in 
many  parts  of  the  Union,  and  in  Canada,  is  every  where 
rare.  It  has  been  met  with,  apparently,  as  a  mere  straggler 
in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  in  the  depth 
of  winter ;  and  has  likewise  been  seen  in  Missouri,  probably 
on  its  spring  passage  towards  the  north.  Where  it  winters, 
whether  in  the  Southern  States,  or  in  still  milder  climes,  is 
yet  unknown. 

Mr.  Hutchins,  in  a  manuscript,  written  as  far  back  as 
1777,  quoted  by  Dr.  Richardson  in  his  Northern  Zoology, 
says,  "  This  elegant  bird  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  marshes  " 
on  the  coast  of  Hudson's  Bay,  near  the  mouth  of  Severn 
River,  "  from  the  middle  of  May  to  the  end  of  September. 
It  never  flies  above  60  yards  at  a  time,  but  runs  with  great 


ii^Xiinmin  — 'i—^^  j 


216 


WADINO    BIRDS. 


rapidity  among  lliu  long  grass  near  the  shores.  In  the 
.  morning  and  evening  it  utters  a  note,  which  resembles  the 
striking  of  a  flint  and  steel ;  at  other  times  it  makes  a 
shrieking  noise.  It  builds  no  nest,  but  lays  from  10  to  16 
white  eggs,  among  the  grass."  It  is  evident,  therefore,  that 
the  Yellow-Breasted  Rail  is  principally  a  northern  species, 
which  migrates  mostly  through  the  western  interior  of  the 
continent,  and  is  therefore  very  rare  in  the  Atlantic  States. 
According  to  the  Prince  of  Musignano,  it  has  also  been 
seen  in  marshy  situations  around  Athabasca  Lake. 

Like  all  the  other  species,  the  present  inhabits  swamps, 
marshes,  and  the  reedy  margins  of  ditches  and  lakes.  In 
the  vicinity  of  West  Cambridge,  and  the  vast  extent  of  wet 
marsh-land,  which  .stretches  over  the  face  of  the  country, 
and  is  but  rarely  visited  by  man,  among  the  Virginian  Rails, 
and  a  few  stragglers  of  the  Soree,  we  occasionally  meet 
with  this  small  and  remarkable  species.  The  first  ever 
brought  to  me,  late  in  autumn,  was  surprised  while  feeding 
on  insects  or  seeds,  by  the  margin  of  a  small  pool,  over- 
grown with  the  leaves  of  the  water  lily  (Nymphfea  odorata.) 
Without  attempting  either  to  fly  or  swim,  it  darted  ninibly 
over  the  floating  leaves,  and  would  have  readily  escaped 
but  for  the  arrest  of  the  fatal  gun,  which  baffled  its  cun- 
ning and  precaution ;  when  wounded  it  also  swims  and 
dives  with  great  address.  According  to  Mr.  Ives,  they  are 
frequently  met  with,  at  this  season,  in  the  marshes  in  the 
vicinity  of  Salem. 

On  the  Cth  of  October  (1831,)  having  spent  the  night  in 
a  lodge,  on  the  borders  of  Fresh  Pond,  employed  for  decoy- 
ing and  shooting  ducks,  I  heard,  about  sunrise,  the  Yellow- 
Breasted  Rails  begin  to  stir  among  the  reeds  (Arundo 
phragmitis)  that  thickly  skirt  this  retired  border  of  the 
lake,  and  in  which,  among  a  host  of  various  kinds  of  Black- 
birds, they  had  for  some  time  roosted  every  night.     As  soon 


YELLOW-BREAHTED   RAIL. 


217 


as  awako,  they  called  out  in  an  abrupt  and  cackling  cry, 
*krkk,  'krhk,  'krhk,  'kAk,  'kuk  'k'kh,  which  note,  appar- 
ently from  th(;  young,  was  ani:wercd  by  the  parent  (probably 
the  hen,)  in  a  lower  soothing  tone.  The  whole  of  these 
uncouth  aiul  guttural  notes  have  no  bad  resemblance  to  the 
croaking  of  the  tree  frog,  as  to  sound.  This  call  and 
answer,  uttered  every  morning,  is  thus  kept  up  for  several 
minutes  in  various  tones,  till  the  whole  family,  separated  for 
the  night,  have  met  and  satisfactorily  recognised  each  other. 
These  arc,  no  doubt,  migrating  broods,  who  have  arrived 
from  the  north,  about  the  time  stated  for  their  departure  by 
Mr.  Hutchins.  By  the  first  week  in  November,  their  cack- 
ling ceases ;  and  as  they  seem  to  migrate  hither  without  de- 
lay, and  with  great  expedition,  for  a  bird  with  such  short 
wings ;  it  is  probable  they  proceed  at  once  to  the  swamps  of 
the  Southern  States,  and  soon  after  to,  or  beyond  the  boun- 
daries of  the  Union. 

The  length  of  the  Yellow-Breasted  Rail  is  about  7^  inches.  The 
young  scarcely  G  inches.  The  bill  |  of  an  inch  long  from  the  rictus, 
much  compressed,  dusky-green,  with  the  base  and  ridge  near  the 
front,  dull  yellowish-orange.  Iris  hazel.  Feet  soiled  flesh  color. 
Tarsus  1  inch.  Middle  toe  an  inch  and  one  eighth  long.  Summit 
of  the  head  and  back,  black,  the  latter  more  broadly  skirted  with 
yellowish-brown,  with  each  feather  crossed  by  two  narrow  white 
bands :  hind  part  of  the  head  dotted  with  white.  Broad  line  over 
the  eye  pale  yellowish-brown,  and  dotted  with  dark  brown.  The 
feathers  of  the  nape,  sides  of  the  nock  and  rump,  with  only  the  ter- 
minal band  of  white.  Wings  when  closed  extending  to  the  tip  of 
the  tail :  upper  wing-coverts  dusky,  margined  with  olive-ferruginous, 
each  with  two  white  narrow  bands.  Quills  dusky ;  secondaries 
nearly  all  white  except  the  first,  which  is  dusky  on  the  outer  web, 
and  the  last,  which  is  mottled  with  the  same  ;  scapulars  black,  very 
widely  bordered  with  yellowish-brown,  crossed  by  two  to  three 
white  equidistant  lines.  Tail  black,  very  short,  the  feathers  with 
two  and  three  white  lines,  and  pale  ferruginous  at  the  sides.  Lower 
plumage,  sides  of  the  neck  and  breast,  yellowish-brown,  each  feather 

19 


^ 


riiiwiTiiiirtSfc*. ' 


218 


WADING    BIRDS. 


being  tipt  with  a  darker  tint,  giving  a  waved  appearance  to  those 
parts.  Throat  and  belly  whitish  :  flanks  and  thighs  dusky,  mixed 
with  pale  brown,  the  feathers  furnished  with  two  or  three  white 
transverse  lines,  as  on  the  back.  Under  tail-coverts  pale  rufous. 
The  young,  for  some  time  after  hatching,  as  in  the  other  species,  are 
covered  with  a  black  down.  When  fully  grown,  they  are  still 
much  smaller  than  the  adults,  have  the  bars  about  the  head  much 
more  distinctly  marked  ;  the  under  parts  darker  and  more  clouded, 
with  a  general  reddish  tint  prevalent  over  the  lower  parts  and  the 
skirting  of  the  upper  plumage ;  there  are  also  fewer  white  bars  on 
the  tail  and  large  feathers,  and  the  black  of  the  adult  is  yet  onJy 
chocolate-brown.  But  the  most  decisive  mark  is  the  absence  of 
most  of  the  white  on  the  secondaries,  which  is  only  indicated  by  2 
or  3  irregular  spots  on  the  first  of  them,  and  on  the  last  of  the 
primaries. 


h 


GALLINULES.     (Gallinula,  Lath.) 

In  these  birds,  which  closely  resemble  the  Rails,  the  bill  is  shorter 
than  the  head,  much  higher  than  wide,  compressed,  straight;  both 
mandibles  furrowed,  the  upper  covering  the  margins  of  the  lower, 
inclined  at  the  point,  the  base  spreading  out  into  a  naked  space 
advancing  upon  the  forehead.  Nostrils  in  the  furrow  of  the  bill, 
medial,  lateral,  oblong,  pervious,  half  closed  by  a  turgid  membrane. 
Feet,  a  small  naked  space  above  the  knee,  anterior  toes  very  long, 
wholly  divided,  bordered  by  a  narrow  membrane  :  hind  toe  bearing 
on  the  ground  with  several  joints;  nails  acute  and  compressed. 
Wings  concave,  rounded  ;  1st  primary  shorter  than  the  5th;  2d  and 
3d  longest.     Tail  short,  and  nearly  covered. 

The  two  sexes  nearly  alike  in  plumage,  the  males  merely  a  little 
brighter  colored,  and  with  the  frontal  clypeus  more  extended.  The 
young  differ  from  the  adult,  till  the  completion  of  the  year ;  and  in- 
dividuals vary  much  in  size.    The  moult  is  annual. 

The  Gallinules,  or  Water  Hens,  so  called  from  their  quaint  resem- 
blance to  our  common  domestic  fowls,  associated  by  pairs  or  broods, 
lead  almost  a  nocturnal  life,  hiding  themselves  in  the  thick  herbage 
of  the  marshes,  where  they  dwell  by  day,  and  disporting  and  feeding 
towards  evening,  and  in  the  early  twilight.    They  reside  near  fresh 


GALLINULES. 


219 


waters,  about  rivers  and  pools,  in  wet  and  inundated  districts ;  they 
also  take  to  the  water  habitually,  and  swim  with  ease,  in  a  singular 
flirting  manner,  continually  striking  the  water  with  their  tails : 
when  approached  and  alarmed,  they  have  recourse  to  diving,  at  such 
times  using  their  wings  as  fins,  but  never  feed  in  this  manner.  The 
Water  Hens  are  sedentary,  no  less  from  the  incapacity  of  their 
short  wings  for  undertaking  migrations,  than  from  original  dis- 
position, they  are  therefore  found  to  inhabit  warm  and  temperate 
climates,  in  which  they  can  obtain  a  constant  supply  of  their  varied 
food.  Bred  sometimes  in  elevated  inland  districts,  the  old  and  young, 
merely  in  quest  of  food  and  shelter,  move  occasionally  into  the 
sheltered  plains  and  marshes,  and  perform  their  migrations  by  night. 
Like  the  Rails,  they  depend  much  more  on  the  use  of  their  legs 
than  wings,  running  with  rapidity  through  covert  and  entangled 
herbage,  in  which  they  are  assisted  by  the  compressed  form  of  their 
bodies  allowing  them  to  pass  through  the  narrowest  openings,  and 
sometimes,  rather  than  trust  to  the  tardy  progress  of  swimming, 
they  skip  over  considerable  sheets  of  still  water  on  the  yielding  sur- 
face of  aquatic  foliage.  They  are  naturally  restless,  and,  when  ran- 
ning,  always  in  the  advancing  posture  of  extreme  haste,  they  elevate 
the  tail.  They  feed  on  small  fish,  insects  and  vegetables,  and  sel- 
dom leave  the  pool  or  still  river  while  it  continues  to  afford  them 
food,  and  are  particularly  attached  to  such,  whose  shady  and  sedgy 
borders  nourish  a  supply  of  their  usual  fare.  They  are  very  prolific, 
and  yet  from  the  various  destructive  accidents  to  which  they  are 
exposed,  are  by  no  means  a  numerous  race ;  they  lay  two  or 
three  times  in  the  year,  at  first  as  many  as  10,  the  latter  broods,  how- 
ever, consist  usually  of  only  about  5  or  G  eggs ;  these  are  usually 
olivaceous,  with  rufous  spots.  The  nest  is  made  of  rushes,  flags,  or 
other  coarse  herbage,  brought  together  in  considerable  quantities,  and 
placed  near  the  surface  of  the  water,  on  some  branch,  bush  or  stump ; 
the  hen  is  said  to  cover  the  eggs  with  herbage  on  leaving  them,  to 
feed  ;  she  sits  about  three  weeks,  and  the  young,  at  first  covered  with 
black  down,  run  and  swim  as  soon  aa  hatched,  but  remain  for  some 
time  under  the  careful  guidance  and  protection  of  the  mother,  and 
are  so  well  concealed  that  it  is  rarely  possible  to  surprise  them ;  for 
some  time  afler  birth  the  parent  conducts  them  to  and  from  the  nest, 
where  she  broods  and  defends  them  with  all  the  care  of  a  domestic 
hen.  But  the  very  element,  on  which  instinct  so  strongly  leads 
them  to  rely,  and  in  which  they  are  usually  so  secure,  not  vmfre- 
quently  proves  their  destruction,  as  their  eggs,  placed  so  near  the 


J 


1 


220 


WADING    BIRDS. 


water,  are  oflen  swept  away  by  the  floods  of  summer,  and  many  of 
the  young  are  destroyed  by  rapacious  fish,  and  particularly  by  the 
pike.  The  flight  of  the  Gallinules,  except  when  they  rise  high  in 
the  air,  is  slow  and  limited,  so  that  they  have  only  recourse  to  it  in 
extremities ;  it  is  also  performed  in  a  peculiar  heavy  manner,  with 
the  legs  hanging '  down,  and  not  stretched  out  as  in  other  waders. 
Their  voice  is  strong,  but  guttural  and  unpleasant ;  and  their  flesh 
is,  by  most,  considered  palatable.  —  The  genus  consists  of  five  or 
six  very  similar  species,  spread  over  all  the  warm  and  temperate 
climates  of  the  globe.  The  only  race  remarkably  distinguished 
by  its  different  plumage  is  the  G.  martinica,  which,  in  the  bril- 
liancy of  its  vesture,  approaches  the  nearly  related  Porphyriones,  or 
Sultanas. 


...^V^'-    ■'''iv^'i'^'' 


»«;4!!- 


iv-':    '.  ..'j\>'u--'.  '\,'\i- 


PURPLE  GALLINULE. 

(Gallinula  martinica,  Gmel.  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  274.  Lath.  Ind.  p. 
769.  No.  9.  Fulica  martinica,  Lin.  (ed.  12.)  i.  p.  259,  sp.  7.  Gal- 
linula porphyria,  Wilson,  ix.  p.  67.  pi.  73.  fig.  2.  Phii.  Museum, 
No.  4294.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Lower  wing  coverts  blue  ;  all  the  under  tail  coverts 
pure  white:  no  colored  circle  around  the  tibia. — Adult,  T^\aT^\e, 
back  and  tail  green ;  the  sides  of  the  neck  and  wings  blue.  Tho 
young  varied  with  dull  purplish  and  dusky ;  beneath  with  black 
and  white. 

This  very  splendid,  but  incongruous  species  of  Galli- 
nule,  is,  in  the  United  States,  a  bird  of  passage,  wintering 
19* 


232 


WADING    BIRDS. 


in  tropical  America,  and  passing  the  summer,  or  breeding 
season  in  the  marshes  of  Florida  and  the  contiguous  parts 
of  the  State  of  Georgia,  where  it  arrives  in  the  latter  part 
of  April,  retiring  south  with  its  brood,  in  the  course  of  the 
autumn,  and  probably  winters,  according  to  its  habits,  in 
the  swampy  maritime  districts  along  the  coast  of  the  Mex- 
ican Gulf.  An  instance  is  given  by  Mr.  Ord,  of  one  of 
these  birds  being  driven  out  to  sea,  and  taking  shelter  on 
board  of  a  vessel  bound  from  New  Orleans  to  Philadelphia, 
while  in  the  gulf.  This  happened  on  the  24th  of  May,  and 
therefore  could  only  have  been  a  bewildered  straggler, 
accidentally  carried  out  to  sea  without  any  intention  of 
migrating ;  nor  is  it  probable  that  a  bird  of  such  short 
wings  as  those  which  characterize  the  genus,  would  make 
the  attempt  to  travel  any  considerable  distance  over  sea, 
while  a  route  by  land,  equally  favorable  for  the  purpose, 
offered.  Little  reliance,  therefore,  is  to  be  placed  upon 
these  accidents,  as  proving  the  maritime  migratory  habits 
of  birds.  Several  hundred  miles  from  land,  towards  the 
close  of  last  June,  (1833,)  in  the  latitude  of  the  Capes  of 
Virginia,  the  vessel  in  which  I  was  sailing  for  the  port  of 
New  York,  was  visited  by  two  or  three  unfortunate  Swallows, 
who,  overcome  by  hunger  and  fatigue,  alighted  for  a  while 
on  the  rigging  of  our  ship,  from  whence  they,  in  all  proba- 
bility, proceeded  farther  out  to  sea  and  perished.  At  this 
season  of  the  year  they  could  not  be  migrating,  but  had 
wandered  out  upon  the  barren  bosom  of  the  deceiving 
ocean,  and  would,  in  consequence  of  exhaustion  and  famine, 
soon  after  fall  a  prey  to  the  remorseless  deep. 

The  Martinico  Gallinule,  while  in  the  Southern  States, 
frequents  the  rice  fields,  rivulets,  and  fresh  water  pools,  in 
company  with  the  more  common  Florida  species.  It  is  a 
vigorous  and  active  bird,  bites  hard  when  irritated,  runs 
with  agility,  and  has  the  faculty,  like  the  Sultanas,  of  hold- 


FLORIDA    OALLINULE. 


223 


sea. 


ing  on  objects  very  firmly  with  its  toes,  which  are  very  long, 
and  spread  to  a  great  extent.  When  walking,  it  jerks  its 
tail  like  the  common  Gallinule.  In  its  native  marshes  it  is 
very  shy  and  vigilant,  and  continually  eluding  pursuit,  can 
only  be  flushed  with  the  aid  of  a  dog.  '        /" 

The  length  of  the  Purple  Gallinule  is  14  inches.  Bill  1^  inches, 
vermilion-red,  greenish-yellow  at  the  tip.  Irids  pale  blood-red. 
Naked  crown  dull  azure  blue.  Head,  part  of  the  neck,  throat,  and 
breast,  of  a  rich  violet-purple.  Back  and  scapulars  olive-green. 
Rump,  tail,  and  its  coverts,  brownish-green.  Sides  of  the  neck  and 
wings,  bright  blue,  the  latter  tinged  with  green :  shoulders  of  the 
wings  rich  azure.  Inner  webs  of  the  quills  and  tail  feathers,  dusky- 
brown.  Belly  and  thighs  dull  purplish-black.  Vent  white.  Tail 
rounded.  Legs  and  feet  greenish-yellow ;  tlie  claws  long,  sharp, 
and  of  a  pale  flesh  color.     Span  of  the  foot  5  inches. 


FLORIDA  GALLINULE. 

(Gallinula  galeata,  Lichenstein.  Bonap.  Am,  Orn.  iv.  p.  128.  pi.  27. 
fig.  1.  [adult.]  Temm.  (in  note)  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  G9C.  G.  chlo- 
ropus,  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  275.  Fulica  viajor  pulla,  fronte  cera  coe- 
cinea,  ohlongo  quadrata  glabra  obducta,  memhrana  digitorum  an- 
gustissima,  Browne.  Nat.  Hist.  Jamaic.  p.  479.  (Red-Faced  Coot.) 
The  Coot,  Sloane.  ii.  p.  320.  sp.  15.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Frontal  cere  oblong-quadrate  ;  toes  extremely  long, 
edged  with  a  very  narrow  membrane,  the  middle  toe  34  lines  ;  a 
red  circle  around  the  tibia ;  lateral  under  tail  coverts  only,  white. 
—  Adult  dark  slate  color,  tinged  with  olivaceous  on  the  back. 
Young  brownish-olive,  beneath  whitish. 

This  species  of  Gallinule,  so  closely  related  to  that  of 
Europe,  is  common  in  Florida,  in  the  Antilles,  in  Jamaica, 
Guadaloupe,  and  the  Isle  of  Aves,  where  they  have  to  dis- 
pense with  the  use  of  fresh  water.     It  is  seen  frequenting 


224 


WADING    BIRDS. 


pools,  lagoons  and  streams,  and  extends  over  a  great  portion 
of  the  continent  of  South  America.  In  the  Middle  and 
Northen  States  of  the  Union,  it  appears  to  be  quite  acci- 
dental, though  as  a  straggler  it  has  been  seen,  and  shot  as 
far  north  as  Albany,  in  the  State  of  New  York.  Its  range 
to  the  north  is  therefore  much  more  limited  than  its  Euro- 
pean analogue.  Its  voice  is  uncouth,  but  sonorous,  and  its 
cry,  or  call,  resembles 'Aa, 'A:a, 'A;a .'  Mr.  Audubon,  met 
with  this  species,  in  great  numbers,  in  Florida,  towards  the 
source  of  the  St.  John's,  in  the  month  of  March. 

This  species  is  unknown  in  Canada,  or  the  northern 
parts  of  America.  The  Common  Gallinule  {G.  chloropus) 
is  spread  over  all  Europe,  and  the  temperate  parts  of 
Asia,  and  is  met  with  throughout  the  continent  of  Africa. 
That  of  Java  (G.  ardosiaca,  Vieill.)  is  also  very  similar 
with  the  present,  and  probably  exists  throughout  India. 
The  principal  traits  of  distinction  between  the  three  kinds, 
till  recently  confounded  as  one,  lie  in  the  comparative 
length  of  the  toes,  and  the  accompanying  difference  of  form 
and  extent  of  the  frontal  clypei's.  This  bare  space  on 
the  forehead  is  much  more  extensive  in  the  American  and 
Javanese  species,  than  in  that  of  Europe;  it  ia  also  round 
in  that  of  Java,  quadrate  in  that  of  America,  and  narrow 
and  acute  in  the  bird  of  Europe. 


The  Florida  Gallinule  is  about  14  inches  long.  The  bill  1|  inches 
to  the  rictus,  and,  as  well  as  the  clypeus,  or  bare  space  passing  up 
the  forehead,  red ;  but  with  the  point  greenish.  The  clypeus  la 
more  than  an  inch  wide  between  the  eyes,  occupying  a  great  por- 
tion of  the  head,  posteriorly  terminating  somewhat  square  or  slightly 
heart-shaped.  The  general  color  of  the  plumage  is  a  dark  lead 
color,  or  sooty  black,  the  head  and  neck  being  a  shade  darker,  the 
lower  parts  lighter,  or  almost  cinereous.  The  back  and  wing  cov- 
erts are  deeply  tinged  with  olive.  Primaries  blackish,  the  tail  more 
deeply  black  than  in  the  other  allied  species.    The  under  tail  coverts 


FLORIDA   OALLINULE. 


225 


alfto  deep  black,  with  the  lateral  feathers  pure  white.  The  white 
lining  of  the  wing  extends  externally  round  the  shoulder,  nearly  to 
the  tip  of  the  outer  quill,  which  is  also  white  on  the  exterior  web. 
Flanks  with  large  white  spots.  Wings  about  7  inches  long :  the  tail 
exceeding  3.  Feet  greenish,  with  a  red  ring  round  the  tibia :  the 
bare  space  on  the  thigh  nearly  |  of  an  inch.  Tarsus  2  inches  and 
three  eighths.  Middle  toe  without  the  nail,  more  than  2^  inches ; 
the  nail  itself  |  of  an  inch.  The  lateral  toes  measure  more  than  2 
inches,  and  the  hind  toe  one  and  an  eighth.  The  sexes  appear 
exactly  alike.  , 


m 
I 
■I 


m 


the 


^*'^^ 


LOBE-FOOTED  BIRDS.     (Pinnatipedes,  Lath.) 


With  the  bill  of  moderate  dimensions,  straight  and  ro- 
bust, (except  in  Phalaropm,  where  it  is  long  and  slender :) 
the  upper  mandible  somewhat  curved  at  the  point.  Feet 
moderate,  the  tarsus  slender,  or  compressed ;  3  toes  forward, 
and  1  backward ;  the  toes  mostly  margined  with  lobed  or 
festooned  membranes :  hind  toe  articulated  rather  high  and 
internally  upon  the  tarsus. 

The  birds  of  this  artificial  order  are  essentially  aquatic, 
swimming  and  diving  with  equal  facility.  They  live  in 
small  flocks,  on  or  near  the  sea  coasts,  venturing  sometimes 
to  sea,  others  often  visit  fresh-water  lakes.  They  live 
upon  insects,  worms,  fish,  frogs,  and  on  vegetables.  They 
are  monogamous ;  and  migrate  in  large  bands,  mostly  on 
wing,  but  often  also  execute  journeys  of  considerable  extent, 
by  swimming.  The  plumage  of  the  sexes  nearly  alike, 
but  the  young  often  differ  from  the  adult.  The  body  is 
thickly  covered  with  down,  and  the  plumage  is  close  and 
shining. 


COOTS.     (FuLicA.*  Briss.  Lin.) 

In  these  birds  the  bim,  is  shorter  than  the  head,  stout,  nearly 
straight,  conical,  compressed,  higher  than  broad  at  base,  acute  at 
tip ;  mandibles  equal,  furrowed  each  side  at  the  base,  the  upper  cov- 


*>  So  called  because  of  its  dusky  color :  from  fuligo,  smoke,  and  hence  the 
Italian  name  ot  follega  or  follata. 


w-^. -..,.."-*._  *.^^' 


COOTS. 


227 


ering  the  margina  of  the  lower,  somewhat  curved,  the  base  spreading 
out  into  a  naked  membrane  over  the  forehead,  and  sometimes  accu- 
mulating into  a  crest-like  H"  jdoge;  the  lower  mandible  boat-like 
(or  navicular.)  Nostrils  in  the  furrow,  medial,  lateral,  concave, 
oblong,  pervious,  half  closed  by  *>vo;id  membrane.  Feet  mod- 
erate, situated  far  back,  naked  space  above  the  tarsus  small ',  tarsus 
compressed,  almost  edged  behind ;  anterior  toes  very  long,  nearly 
divided  to  the  base,  on  either  side  margined  by  a  broad  scalloped 
membrane ;  hind  toe  bearing  on  the  ground,  edged  on  the  inner  side 
with  an  entire  membrane.  Wings  moderate,  rounded,  lat  primary 
equal  with  the  5th,  2d  and  3d  longest.  Tail  short  and  narrow,  of 
12  or  14  feathers. 

The  two  sexes  nearly  alike  in  plumage ;  and  the  young  scarcely 
distinguishable  from  the  adult :  individuals  differ  greatly  in  size.  The 
frontal  disk  varies  much  among  adult  individuals  :  the  moult  takes 
place  twice  in  the  year,  without  producing  any  material  change 
in  the  colors  of  the  plumage,  which  is  thick,  close  and  impermeable 
to  water.  The  general  color  of  all  the  species  is  inclining  to 
black. 

The  Coots  are  more  decidedly  aquatic  than  the  Gallinules,  they 
are  indeed  rarely  seen  on  land ;  they  live,  however,  in  salt  as  well 
as  fresh  waters,  and  swim  and  dive  with  the  utmost  facility  :  they 
frequent  gulfs  and  bays,  but  never  venture  out  upon  the  sea ;  yet 
they  voyage  as  well  as  reside  upon  the  water,  where  the  route  ia 
sheltered  by  the  proximity  of  land.  The  Coots  are  also  noctur- 
nal in  their  habits,  the  old  birds  being  rarely  seen  by  day  ;  the  young 
are  less  shy,  playful,  and  easily  approached,  but  generally  elude  the 
gunner,  by  promptly  diving  at  the  flash ;  they  also  often  collect 
certain  kinds  of  food  beneath  the  water,  so  that  they  are  habitual 
divers,  and  feed  on  small  fish,  insects,  molusca,  and  aquatic  plants. 
They  walk  with  difficulty,  from  the  awkward  situation  of  their  legs, 
being  placed  far  behind  the  centre  of  the  body  ;  it  is  indeed  seldom 
that  they  ever  attempt  to  proceed  by  land,  except,  occasionally  from 
one  pond  to  another,  and  they  generally  take  wing  if  the  distance 
be  of  any  magnitude  ;  on  the  ground  their  progress  is  so  futile,  that 
they  are  easily  overtaken  and  caught  by  hand.  The  Coot  takes  wing 
also  with  difficulty,  and  during  day  time,  only  when  driven  to  emer- 
gencies, sometimes  even  burrowing  into  the  mud,  rather  than  rise 
from  the  water ;  when  they  make  the  attempt,  tlicy  rise  on  the  sur- 
face of  their  favorite  element,  spread  the  wings,  and  then  flutt     and 


2^ 


LOBE-FOOTED   BIUDS. 


paddle  rapidly  along  the  surfUcv'* ;  whor*  once  raised,  however,  the 
difficulty  vaniehes,  and  thoy  fly  wit'a  ease  and  rapidity,  but  with  a 
great  deal  of  motion  in  t'ae  wings.  They  breed  in  marshes,  among 
the  reeds  and  rank  grass,  forming  a  very  bulliy  nest  of  coarse  aquatic 
weeds,  the  eggs  are  lar^^e  and  numerous ;  both  sexes  join  in  the 
labor  of  incubation,  and  the  rearing  of  the  young,  who  take  to  the 
water  as  soon  as  hatched.  The  fiesh  is  said  to  be  dark,  and  unpal- 
atable, but  the  young  of  the  native  species  are  nearly  equal  in  taste 
with  some  of  the  best  flavored  ducks. 

The  species^  though  few,  are  spread  nearly  over  the  world ;  there 
is  one  in  Europe,  and  another  closely  allied  to  it  in  America ;  another 
also  in  Africa,  and  two  or  three  kinds  in  South  America.  They 
are  very  nearly  allied  to  the  Gallinules. 


ij 


' 


ver,  the 
it  with  a 
,  among 
e  aquatic 
a  in  the 
le  to  the 
id  unpal- 
I  in  taste 

Id;  there 
, ;  anothei 
a.    They 


CINEREOUS  COOT. 

(Ftif^ca  amcrieana,  Gmel.  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  276.    F.  atra,  Wilson, 

ix.  p.  61.  pi.  73.  fig.  1.    Phil.  Museum.  No.     .     .     .) 
Sp.  Charact.  —  Slate  colored,  under  tail  coverts  and  exterior  lining 

of  the  wings  white ;  tail  usually  of  14  feathers.  —  Adult,  with  the 

head  and  neck  deep  black ;  the  membrane  of  the  forehead  white. 

Young,  with  the  head  and  neck  brownish-black ;  beneath  paler, 

and  somewhat  mixed  with  white. 

The  Coot  of  America,  so  very  similar  to  that  of  Europe, 
according  to  the  season,  is  found  in  almost  every  part  of  the 
continent,  from  the  grassy  lakes  that  skirt  the  Saskatche- 
wan plains,  in  the  55th  parallel,*  to  the  reedy  lagoons  of 
East  Florida,  and  the  marshes  of  Jamaica.  To  the  West, 
the  species  seems  to  inhabit  the  waters  of  the  Columbia,  in 
the  remote  Territory  of  Oregon.  Mr.  Say  observed  them 
also  in  the  lower  part  of  Missouri,  and  in  Long's  Expedi- 
tion, they  were  seen  in  Lake  Winnipique,  (lat.  42°.)  on 
the  7th  of  June.     Mr.  Swainson  has  also  received  speci- 

*  Richardson  and  Swainson,  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  404.  No.  170. 

20 


ISM 


230 


LOBE-FOOTED    BIRDfl. 


mens  from  the  distant  table-land  of  Mexico.  We  may, 
therefore,  conclude  almost  with  certainty,  that  the  Coot  of 
America,  indifferent  to  climate,  dwells  and  breeds  in  every 
part  of  the  North  American  continent,  over  a  range  of 
probably  more  than  50  degrees  of  latitude !  Nocturnal  in 
their  habits,  and  dispersing  themselves  far  and  wide  over 
every  watery  solitude,  they  appear,  in  many  places,  to  have 
disappeared  for  the  season,  until  the  numbers,  swelled  by 
their  prolific  broods,  and  impelled  at  the  approach  of  winter 
to  migrate  for  food,  now  begin  to  show  themselves  in  the 
lakes,  pools,  and  estuaries  in  the  vicinity  of  the  sea,  from 
which  they  gradually  recede  towards  the  south,  as  the 
severity  of  the  season  compels  them,  being  unable  to  subsist 
amidst  the  ice.  In  this  way  they  proceed,  accumulating  in 
numbers  as  they  advance,  so  that  in  the  inundated  and 
ma/shy  tracts  of  Florida,  particularly  along  the  banks  of  the 
St.  Juan,  they  are  seen  in  winter,  congregated  in  vast  and 
noisy  flocks.  In  the  milder  latitudes,  their  whole  migra- 
tions will  be  limited  to  a  traverse  from  the  interior  to  the 
vicinity  of  the  sea,  while  those  which  visit  the  wilderness 
of  Upper  Canada,  where  they  are  abundant  in  the  summer, 
will  probably  migrate  from  25  to  30  degrees  every  spring 
and  autumn. 

The  Coots  arrive  in  Pennsylvania,  about  the  beginning 
of  October.  They  appear  in  Fresh  Pond,  in  this  vicinity, 
about  the  first  week  in  September.  A  pair  took  up  their 
residence  in  this  small  lake,  about  the  15th  of  April  ,*  and 
in  June  they  are  occasionally  seen  accompanied  by  their 
young.  The  nest,  eggs,  and  manners,  during  the  period 
of  reproduction,  are  yet  unknown.  Timorous  and  defence- 
less, they  seek  out  the  remotest  solitudes  to  breed,  where, 
amidst  impassable  bogs  and  pools,  the  few  individuals  which 
dwell  in  the  same  vicinity  are  readily  overlooked,  and  with 
difficulty  discovered,  from  the  pertinacity  of  the  older  birds 


Vi 


CINEREOUf)    COOT. 


231 


in  hiding  themHolves  wholly  by  day.  It  is  therefore  only 
when  the  aflfections  and  necessities  of  the  species  increase, 
that  they  are  urged  to  make  more  visible  exertions,  and 
throw  ahide,  for  a  time,  the  characteristic  indolence  of  their 
furtive  nature.  We  now  see  them  abroad,  accompanied  by 
their  more  active  and  incautious  oflfspring,  night  and  morn- 
ing, without  exhibiting  much  timidity,  the  young  sporting 
and  feeding  with  careless  confidence  in  their  fickle  element.. 
They  are  at  this  time  easily  approached  and  shot,  as  they  do 
not  appear  to  dive  with  the  same  promptness  as  the  Euro- 
pean species. 

The  old  birds,  ever  watchful  and  solicitous  for  their 
brood,  with  which  they  still  appear  to  associate,  when 
iilarmed,  utter  at  times  a  sort  of  hoarse  'kruk,  which  serves 
as  a  signal  either  to  dive  or  swim  away.  At  this  season  of 
the  year,  Mr.  N.  Wyeth  informs  me,  that  he  has  heard  the 
Coot  repeatedly  utter  a  whizzing  sound,  which  he  can  only 
compare  to  the  plunge  of  large  shot  when  fired  into  water. 
It  migiit  possibly  be  the  small  and  bouncing  leaps,  with 
which  the  associated  young  of  the  Common  species  amuse 
themselves  at  almost  all  hours  of  the  day.  In  East  Florida, 
where  they  appear,  according  to  Bartram,  to  assemble  and 
breed  in  great  numbers,  they  are  very  chattering  and  noisy, 
and  may  be  heard  calling  on  each  other,  almost  night  and 
day.  With  us  they  are,  however,  very  taciturn,  though  tame, 
and  with  many  other  birds,  appear  to  have  no  voice  but  for 
the  exciting  period  of  the  nuptial  season. 

The  Coots  of  Europe  have  many  enemies  in  the  preda- 
cious birds  which  surround  them,  particularly  the  Moor  Buz- 
zard, which  not  only  destroys  the  young,  but  sucks  the 
eggs,  to  such  an  extent,  that  notwithstanding  their  great 
prolificacy,  laying  from  12  to  18  eggs,  the  numbers  are 
80  thinned  by  depredation,  that  not  above  one  tenth  escape 
ihe  talons  of  rapacious  species.     Indeed,   it  is  only  the 


232  LOBE-FOOTED   BIRDS. 

second  hatch,  of  about  8  eggs,  more  securely  concealed 
among  the  flags  on  the  margins  of  pools,  that  ever  survive 
to  renew  the  species.  The  nest,  secreted  in  this  manner 
among  the  rank  herbage,  is  placed  on  the  surface  of  the 
water,  but  raised  above  it  by  piling  together  a  quantity  of 
coarse  materials,  in  order  to  keep  the  eggs  dry.  In  this 
buoyant  state,  a  sudden  gale  of  wind  has  been  known  to 
draw  them  from  their  slender  moorings,  and  nests  have 
thus  been  seen  floating  on  the  water,  with  the  birds  still  sitting 
upon  them,  as  in  the  act  of  navigating  over  the  pool  on 
which  they  had  resided.  The  female  is  said  to  sit  22  or  23 
days;  the  young,  now  covered  with  a  black  down,  quit 
the  nest  as  soon  as  they  are  hatched,  and  are  then  cherished 
under  the  wings  of  the  mother,  and  sleep  around  her  be- 
neath the  reeds ;  she  also  leads  them  to  the  water,  in  which 
they  swim  and  dive  from  the  moment  of  their  liberation 
from  the  shell. 

When  closely  pursued  in  the  water,  the  Coot  sometimes 
makes  for  the  shore,  and  from  the  compressed  form  of  its 
body,  though  so  awkward  in  its  gait,  can  make  considerable 
progress  through  the  grass  and  reeds.  When  driven  to  take 
wing  on  the  water,  it  rises  low  and  with  reluctance,  flutter- 
ing along  the  surface  with  both  the  wings  and  feet  pattering 
over  it,  for  which  reason,  according  to  Lawson,  in  his  His- 
tory of  Carolina,  they  had  in  that  country  received  the  name 
of  Flusterers. 

The  food  of  the  American  Coot,  like  that  of  the  other 
species,  is  chiefly  vegetable ;  they  live  also  upon  small  fluvia- 
tile  shells  and  aquatic  insects,  to  all  which  they  add  gravel 
and  sand,  in  the  manner  of  common  fowls.  A  specimen 
which  I  examined  on  the  19th  of  September,  had  the  stom- 
ach, very  capacious  and  muscular,  filled  with  tops  of  the 
Water  Milfoil  ( Myriophyllum  verticillatumj  and  a  few 
seeds  or  nuts  of  a  small  species  of  Bur^Reed  (Spargani- 


.1. 


\  ■ ' 


'  %: 


PHALAROPES. 


833 


um.)  From  the  contents  of  the  intestines,  which  were 
enormous,  aquatic  vegetables  appeared  now  to  be  their 
principal  food. 

In  the  month  of  November  the  Coot  leaves  the  Northern 
and  Middle  States,  and  retires  by  night,  according  to  its 
usual  habits,  to  pass  the  winter  in  the  warmer  parts  of  the 
Union,  and  probably  extends  its  journeys  along  all  the 
shores  of  the  Mexican  Gulf. 

The  length  of  the  American  Coot  is  from  16  to  16i^  inches.  The 
length  of  the  bill  to  the  rictus  1  inch  5  lines  ;  of  the  tarsus  2  inches 
1  line ;  of  the  middle  toe  2  inches  11  lines.  I'he  head  and  neck 
velvet-black.  Fore  part  of  the  back,  scapulars,  rump,  and  tail  cov- 
erts,  clove-brown,  with  a  greenish  tinge.  Quills,  tail,  and  vent, 
pitch-black.  Tips  of  the  secondaries,  and  under  tail  coverts,  white, 
—  Under  plumage  lead-grey.  Bill  pain  horn  color,  with  a  chestnut 
ring  near  its  tip ;  frontal  callus  dead  white,  (in  some  specimens 
chestnut-brown,)  terminating  superiorly  in  a  rhomboidal  chestnut 
colored  spot.  Legs  and  toes  yellowish-green,  the  scalloped  mem- 
brane mostly  lead  color.  —  Male  specimens  occur  of  only  15j^  inches. 


PHALAROPES.     (PnALAROPus.t  Briss.) 

In  these  birds  the  bill  is  rather  long,  straight,  weak  and  slender, 
both  mandibles  furrowed  to  the  point,  the  upper  somewhat  curved 
at  the  extremity,  the  lower  subulate  at  the  point.  Nostrils  in  the 
furrow,  basal,  lateral,  longitudinal,  linear,  half  covered  by  a  mem- 
brane. Feet  moderate,  4-toed ;  naked  space  on  the  tibia  somewhat 
extensive ;  tarsus  compressed,  the  3  anterior  toes  bordered  by  a 
lobed  membrane  (as  in  the  Coot,)  outer  connected  at  base  to  the  mid- 
dle toe ;  hiud  toe  short,  bordered  only  internally  with  a  small  entire 
membrane,  articulated  interiorly,  touching  the  ground  at  tip.  Wings 
long,  curved  and  acute;  the  Ist  and  2d  primaries  about  equal,  and 


t  From  ^'r\!ipif,  the  probable  Greek  name  for  the  Coot,  and  ma,  the  foot 
Ing  the  lobed  feet  of  the  Coot. 

20* 


Bav- 


234 


LOBE-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


the  longest.    Tail  short,  of  13  feathers,  with  the  under  coverts  ex- 
tending  to  its  extremity. 

The  head  is  small,  wholly  feathered,  and  compressed  at  the  sides, 
but  rounded  above ;  the  neck  is  also  well  proportioned,  and  the  body 
roundish.  The  female  differs  a  little  from  the  male,  and  is  larger, 
and  more  elegantly  feathered.  The  young  differ  much  from  the 
adult  in  plumage,  and  also  vary  according  to  age.  They  moult 
twice  in  the  year,  changing  their  colors  at  these  periods  as  much 
as  the  Sandpipers.  The  plumage  is  close,  dense,  and  very  downy  at 
base,  quite  impermeable  to  the  access  of  water.  The  colors  in  sum- 
mer brownish  and  rufous ;  changing  in  winter  to  grey  and  white. 

These  elegant  and  diminutive  birds  are  essentially  aquatic,  not- 
withstanding their  obvious  relation  to  the  Sandpipers.  They  glide 
over  the  water  with  admirable  ease  and  swiftness,  are  the  smallest 
of  swimming  birds ;  resisting  the  heaviest  waves,  like  Petrels,  they 
not  only  inhabit  lakes  and  limited  waters,  but  also  go  out  fearlessly 
to  sea;  their  extreme  buoyancy,  deprives  them  of  the  ability  to 
dive.  They  are  scarcely  ever  seen  on  the  ground,  where,  how- 
ever, they  walk  and  run  quickly.  They  are  by  no  means  shy,  ' 
or  otlen  conscious  of  danger ;  live  in  small  flocks  on  sea  coasts, 
preferring  salt  and  brackieh  to  fresh  waters,  on  which  they  are  but 
rarely  seen.  They  fly  with  ease  and  elegance ;  and  feed  upon  aquatic 
insects  and  molusca,  which  they  collect  on  the  surface  of  the  waves, 
or  by  the  water  side.  They  associate  by  pairs ;  nesting  on  shore,  ■, 
on  the  grassy  borders  of  pools  and  lakes,  or  in  the  contiguous  savan- 
nahs ;  the  eggs  are  from  4  to  6,  on  which  both  sexes  incubate,  as 
well  as  take  charge  of  the  young ;  the  brood,  however,  run  about 
and  swim  as  soon  as  they  are  hatched.  The  flesh  is  said  to  be  oily  and 
disagreeable,  but  in  young  birds  of  the  Hyperborean  Phalarope,  we 
have  found  it  altogether  similar  in  flavor  with  that  of  the  smaller 
TringcE.  They  inhabit  the  Arctic  seas,  from  whence  they  migrate, 
at  the  approach  of  winter,  into  the  temperate  regions  of  either  con- 
tinent. The  genus,  as  yet,  consists  of  but  4  species,  all  found  in 
America,  and  two  of  them  are  also  common  to  Europe.  The  Pha- 
Isiropes  seem  to  form  a  link  of  connexion  between  the  waders  and 
web-footed  tribes 


PHALABOPEB. 


335 


^'a( 


Subgenus.  —  Phalaropus.     Otv.    Bonctp.    Crtmophilvs, 

VieiU. 

Itf  this  race  of  birds  the  bill  is  moderate  in  its  dimensions,  rather 
stout,  and  much  depressed  throughout,  the  point  dilated,  rounded 
and  curved.  Nostrils  oval.  Tongue  short,  fleshy  and  obtuse. 
Feet;  tarsi  short,  stout,  and  but  little  compressed ;  middle  toe  con- 
nected with  the  outer  as  far  as  the  second  joint,  and  with  the  inner 
to  the  first  articulation ;  the  toes  edged  with  a  broad  and  deeply  scal- 
loped membrane ;  hind  toe  very  short,  the  nail  only  attaining  the 
ground.  Wings  moderate.  Tail  rather  long,  and  much  rounded. 
The  general  form  robust. 

This  subgenus,  or  rather  genus,  consists,  at  present,  of  but  one 
well  ascertained  species ;  resembling  the  section  Hemipalma  of  the 
Sandpipers  (Tringa.) 


.«I;'::^->,    -V 


~-f- 


--'r':\      <- 


.'■;!r-.}^is  ■..'■/ 


'  fStt^'^V^ 


and 


Vi,*.:;.  ,ri;:\  ■••\t 


-  \ 


RED  PHALAROPE. 

(Phalaropus  fidicarius,  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  277.  P.  platyrhinchus, 
TfMH.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  712.  P.  hyperhoreua,  (also  P.  ftdica- 
rius.)  Wilson,  ix.  p.  75.  pi.  73.  fig.  4.  Red  Phalarope,  (Trinr 
ga  fulicaria.)  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  413.  The  Red  Coot-footed 
Tringa,  (Tringa  rufa.)  Eow.  pi.  142.  Phil.  Museum,  No.  4088.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Blackish,  varied  with  rusty,  beneath  rufous.  —  ) /in- 
ter dress  cinereous,  beneath  white.  Young  ashy-brown,  varied 
with 'yellowish-rufous;  beneath  white.  - 

The  Flat-Billed,  or  Red  Phalarope,  inhabits  the  whole 
Arctic  circle  during  summer,  where,  in  the  security  of  soli- 
tude, it  passes  the  important  period  of  reproduction.  It  is 
observed  in  the  north  and  east  of  Europe ;  in  abundance  in 
Siberia,  upon  the  banks  of  lakes  and  rivers,  and  it  extends 
its  vernal  migrations  to  the  borders  of  the  Caspian.  They 
abound  in  the  hyperboreal  regions  of  America,  breeding  on 
the  North  Georgian  Islands,  and  the  remote  and  wintry 
coasts  of  Melville  Peninsula.    The  late  enterprising  and 


ifti£^^^tii:^i^^Mi^iik^i^Se&. 


RED  PHALAROPE. 


237 


scientific  northern  navigators,  on  the  10th  of  June,  in  the 
latitude  of  68°,  saw  a  company  of  these  little  daring  voyar 
gers  out  at  sea,  four  miles  from  land,  swimming  at  their 
ease,  amidst  mountains  of  ice.  They  are  seen  also  by 
mariners  between  Asia  and  America.  According  to  Mr. 
Bullock,  the  Red  Phalarope  is  found  common  in  the 
marshes  of  Sunda  and  Westra,  the  most  northerly  of  the 
Orkney  Isles,  where  they  pass  the  breeding  season,  and  are 
there  so  tame,  and  little  alarmed  by  the  destructive  arts  of 
man,  as  to  suffer  the  report  of  a  gun  without  fear,  so  that 
Mr.  B.  killed  as  many  as  nine  of  them  without  moving  from 
the  spot  where  he  made  the  first  discharge.  When  seen 
swimming  in  pools,  it  is  continually  dipping  the  bill  into  the 
water,  as  if  feeding  on  some  minute  insects,  and  while  thus 
engaged  it  will  oflen  allow  of  a  very  near  approach.  When 
disturbed  they  fly  out  a  short  distance  only,  like  the  Dunlins. 
Sometimes,  though  rarely,  they  are  seen  to  approach  the 
shore  or  the  land  in  quest  of  food,  but  their  proper  element 
is  the  water,  and  more  particularly  that  of  the  sea  or  saline 
pools. 

The  Flat-Billed  Phalarope  breeds  around  Hudson's  Bay 
in  the  month  of  June,  soon  afler  their  arrival  from  their 
tropical  winter  quarters ;  for  this  purpose,  they  select  some 
dry  and  grassy  spot,  wherein  they  lay  about  4  eggs  of  an 
oil-green  color,  crowded  with  irregular  spots  of  dark  umber- 
brown,  which  become  confluent  towards  the  obtuse  end. 
The  young  take  to  wing  in  July,  or  early  in  August,  and 
they  leave  the  inclement  shores  of  their  nativity  in  the 
month  of  September.  At  this  period,  as  well  as  in  the 
spring,  a  few  stragglers  visit  the  United  States,  where  they 
have  been  occasionally  shot  in  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia 
and  Boston.  These  and  other  species  are  also  seen,  in  the 
autumn,  about  Vera  Cruz,  where  they  are  sold  with  other 
game,  in  the  market.    Their  visits  in  England  and  Ger- 


238 


LOBE-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


many  are  equally  rare  as  in  the  United  States,  and  they 
have  been  known  sometimes  to  stray  into  Switzerland, 
having  been  shot  on  the  lake  of  Geneva. 


\- 


The  length  of  the  Red  Phalarope  is  from  7  to  7j^  inches,  (near  9 
inches  Temh  !)  Bill  measured  from  above,  10  lines,  tarsus  the  same 
length.  Summit  of  the  head,  occiput  and  nape,  of  a  pure  ash-color: 
a  large  patch  of  greyish-black  over  the  orifice  of  the  ears ;  two 
bands  of  this  color  originating  towards  the  eyes,  pass  over  the  hind- 
head,  where  they  constitute  a  single  band,  which  descends  along 
the  nape.  Sides  of  the  breast,  back,  scapulars  and  rump,  of  a  fine 
bluish-ash  (like  the  mantle  of  some  of  the  GuJ^f),)  some  blackish 
stains  occupy  the  centre  of  all  these  feathers  and  continue  along 
the  shafts  .-  the  longest  of  the  scapulars  are  tipped  with  white  :  there 
is  a  transverse  white  band  upon  the  wing.  Tail  feathers  blackish- 
brown,  bordered  with  cinereous.  Front,  sides  of  the  neck,  middle 
of  the  breast,  and  all  the  other  lower  parts  pure  white.  Bill  yellow- 
ish-red at  the  base,  but  brown  towards  the  point.  Iris  reddish- 
yellow.  Feet  greenish-grey.  —  The  adtdts  of  both  sexes  in  winter 
plumage.  —  Pludaropus  lobatus,  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  77C.  sp.  2.  ^_^ 

The  young  before  moulting.  Upon  the  occiput  a  blackish  patch  in 
the  form  of  a  horse-shoe ;  a  band  of  the  same  color  also  over  the 
eyes.  Nape,  back,  scapulars,  upper  tail  coverts,  and  the  feathers  of 
the  tail  ashy-brown.  The  plumage  of  the  back,  scapulars,  and 
middle  tail  feathers  widely  bordered  with  yellowish.  Rump  white) 
varied  with  dark  brown.  Secondaries  and  primaries  fringed  with 
white,  their  coverts  bordered  and  terminated  with  yellowish- white ; 
a  transverse  white  band  upon  the  wing.  Front,  throat,  sides  and 
front  of  the  neck,  breast,  and  other  lower  parts,  pure  white.  Feet 
greenish-yellow.  Bill  ashy-brown.  —  It  is  then  Tringa  lobata,  Lepe- 
CHiN,  and  Grey  Phalarope  of  Lath.  Syn.  v.  p.  272.  Penn.  Brit. 
Zool.  126.  t.  E.  i.  fig.  3. 

Summer  and  nuptial  plumage  of  the  adults.  —  Head,  nape,  back) 
scapulars,  and  upper  tail  coverts  blackish-brown ;  all  the  feathers  of 
these  parts  surrounded  with  wide  orange-rufous  borders.  A  yellow- 
ish band  above  the  eyes.  Wing  coverts  blackish,  tipped  with  white. 
A  transverse  white  band  on  the  wing.  Rump  white,  spotted  with 
black.  Fore  part  of  the  neck,  breast,  belly,  and  lower  tail  coverts, 
bright  rufous  or  brick-red. —  Tringa  fulicaria,BfiV»s.  Orn.  Boreal. 


II., 


HYPERBOREAN  IHALAROPE. 


239 


p.  61.  No.  179.    Le  Phalarope  Rouge,  BuFr.  OiB.  yiii.  p.  225.    Red 
Phalarope,  Lath.  Syn.  y.  p.  271. 

Obs.  Dr.  Richardson  guspects  that  plate  308,  and  142  of  Ed- 
wards represents  two  Flat'BUled  Phalaropes.  A  specimen,  now  in 
the  British  Museum,  killed  in  the  Orkneys,  agrees  in  size  and  color 
with  Edwards'  bird,  plate  142,  and  is  larger  in  all  its  dimensions 
than  the  ordinary  species.  Similar  large  specimens  were  also  killed 
an  Melville  Peninsula,  by  Sir  Edward  Parry ;  the  summer  plumage 
of  these  does  not  materially  differ,  however,  from  that  described 
above,  in  the  smaller  *-necies. 

..■■<? 


Subgenus.  —  Lobipes.     (Bonap.  Cuv.) 

With  the  bill  moderate,  slender,  cylindrical,  subulate  to  the  tip, 
point  narrow  and  sharp ;  upper  mandible  slightly  curved  upon  the 
lower  at  tip.  Nostrils  not  quite  basal,  linear.  Tongue  filiform 
and  acute.  Tarsi  elongated,  somewhat  compressed;  toes  rather 
long ;  middle  one  connected  with  the  inner  to  the  first,  and  with  the 
outer  to  the  second  joint:  the  membranous  margin  of  the  toes 
broad  and  deeply  scalloped;  hind  toe  very  short,  touching  the 
ground  only  with  the  nail.  Wings  long  :  the  tail  rather  short.  The 
general  form  slender. 

There  is  but  one  known  species  of  this  section,  which  bears  con- 
siderable resemblance  to  the  Tatlers  (Totanus,)  and  particularly  Ca^ 
toptrophorus,  or  the  Willet. 


/■ 


HYPERBOREAN  PHALAROPE. 

(Phalaropus  hyperboreus,  etfuscus,  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  pp.  774,  775.  sp.  1. 
,,  and  4.  Tehh.  ii.  p.  709.  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  278.  Am.  Orn.  iv.  p. 
■i  82.  pi.  25.  fig.  2.  [young  of  the  second  year  ?]  Lobipes  hyperbo- 
■j,.  reus,  Cuv.  Reg.  Anim.  i.  p.  533.  Tringa  hyperborea,  Lik.  Syst.  i. 
p.  249.  sp.  9.     T.  lobata,  Ibid,  [young.]     Phil.  Museum,  No. 

•         •         •         • ) 

Sf.  Gharact.  —  Black,  varied  with  rufous,  beneath  white  ;  sides  of 
the  neck  and  breast  bright  rufous  and  ash.  —  WiiUer  plumage  ci- 


Mt 


LOBfi-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


nereous;  beneath  white.     Young  black,  varied  with  pale  yellow* 
ish-brown ;  front  and  beneath  white.  ":. 

The  geographical  range  of  the  Hyperborean  Phalarope, 
as  its  name  implies,  is  nearly,  if  not  quite,  similar  with  that 
of  the  preceding  species.  In  summer  it  dwells  and  breeds 
generally  within  the  Arctic  circle  in  both  continents.  It  pen- 
etrates into  Greenland,  Iceland,  and  Spitzbergen,  is  abun* 
dant  in  the  north  of  Scotland,  in  the  Orkneys  and  Hebrides, 
and  is  equally  prevalent  in  Lapland,  on  the  northern  coasts  of 
Siberia,  and  between  Asia  and  America,  a  transient  visi- 
ter on  the  shores  of  the  Baltic,  and  seen  only  accidentally 
in  Germany  and  Holland.  It  sometimes,  though  very 
rarely,  penetrates  inland  as  far  as  the  lakes  of  Switzerland, 
and  in  its  natal  regions  visits  lakes  of  fresh  as  well  as  salt 
water.  At  the  period  of  their  migrations,  in  May  and 
August,  they  betake  themselves  to  the  open  sea,  particularly 
in  autumn,  and  are  then  gregarious,  assembling  in  flocks: 
at  other  times  they  are  seen  in  pairs,  and  like  the  prece- 
ding, have  a  constant  habit  of  dipping  the  bill  into  the 
water,  as  if  in  the  act  of  collecting  the  minute  molusca, 
which  may  be  floating  in  it.  They  are  often  also  seen  on 
the  wing,  and  are  said  by  Willughby,  to  utter  a  shrill 
clamorous  cry  or  twitter,  resembling  that  of  the  Greater 
Tern. 

In  Arctic  America,  where  this  Phalarope  resides  in  the 
mild  season,  it  is  seen  to  seek  out  shady  pools,  in  which 
it  swims  with  peculiar  ease  and  elegance,  its  attitudes  much 
resembling  those  of  the  Common  Teal.  It  makes  its  nest 
without  much  art,  on  the  borders  of  the  waters  it  frequents, 
among  the  grass,  upon  some  elevated  tussock,  laying  3  or  4 
eggs,  of  an  olive-yellowish  color,  so  closely  spotted  with 
blackish-brown  as  to  obscure  the  appearance  of  the  ground 
color.  They  arrive  to  breed,  around  Hudson's  Bay,  about 
the  beginning  of  June,  and  old  and  young  are  seen  to 


.^«A?Afc»efej»£.«Lw^t^  B.g'- A  ^.i  J. 


HYPERBOREAN    PHAL^ROPE. 


<241 


frequent  the  sea  coast  previous  to  their  departure,  which 
takes  place  oflen  soon  afler  the  middle  of  August,  on  the 
16th  or  17th  of  which  they  are  occasionally  killed  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  near  Newport  in  Rhode 
Island.     They  likewise  probably  pay  a  transient  visit  to  the 
coast  of  New  Jersey,  as  they   do  also,  at  times,  to  Long 
Island,  and  finally  repair  to  the  mild  shores  of  the  Mexi- 
can Gulf,  being  seen  in  the  markets  of  Mexico  and  Vera 
Cruz.    Migrating  probably  by  sea  and  outside  of  the  land, 
they  but   rarely  visit  the  coast  in  any  part  of  the  United 
States.     Though  straggling  families  of  the  old  and  young 
are  met  with  in  this  vicinity,  nearly  every  year,  about  the 
beginning  of  May  and  the  middle  of  August,  commonly  in 
salt  water  pools  near  the  sea,  and,  as  usual,  they  are  seen 
perpetually  dipping  their  bills  into  the  water  ;  or  with  a  re- 
clined neck  swimming  and  turning  about  in  their  favorite 
element,  with  all  the  ease  and  grace  of  a  diminutive  swan. 
In  Iceland,  the  Hyperborean  Phalarope  arrives  about  the 
middle  of  May,  and  waiting  the  complete  thawing  of  the 
ice,  they  are  seen,  for  a  time,  assembled  in  flocks  out  at  sea, 
several  miles  from  the  shore.     This  gregarious  association 
breaks  up  early  in  June,  when  seceding  pairs  retire  to  breed 
by  the  mountain  ponds.     They  are  very  faithful  to  their 
mates,  and  jealous  of  intrusion  from  strangers  of  the  same 
species,  on  which  occasions  the  males  fight  with  obstinacy, 
running  to  and  fro  upon  the  water,  at  the  time  even  when 
the  females  are  engaged  in  incubation.     When  the  young 
are  exposed  to  any  danger,  the  parents  are  heard  to  express 
their  alarm,  by  a  repeated  'prip,  'prip.     At  the  commence- 
ment of  August,  as  in  the  glacial  regions  of  America,  the 
whole  retire  to  the  open  sea,  previous  to  their  migration  to 
the  south,  and  by  the  end  of  that  month  they  are  no  longer 
to  be  found  in  that  island. 

ai  -     .a 


/■ 


r 


342 


y\ 


LOU£-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


The  food  of  this  species  is  said  to  be  chiefly  worms, 
winged  insects,  particularly  diptera,  and  such  other  kinds 
as  frequent  the  surface  of  the  water.  In  specimens,  which 
I  have  examined,  the  stomachs  contained  some  small  gravel, 
and  the  remains  of  aquatic  coleopterous  insects,  as  the  difler* 
ent  kinds  of  small  water  beetles.  These  individuals,  which 
were  young  birds  beginning  to  moult,  had  therefore  varied 
their  fare,  by  a  visit  to  some  fresh-water  pool,  or  lake,  and, 
like  their  kindred  Sa;  dpipers,  hud  landed  on  the  shore  in 
quest  of  gravel.  They  were  likewise  fat,  and  very  finely 
flavored.  The  old  birds,  hunted  as  food  by  the  Green- 
landers,  are  said,  however,  to  be  oily  and  unpalatable,  which 
may  arise  probably  from  the  nature  of  the  fare  on  which 
they  there  subsist ;  if  the  biitls  alluded  to,  are  not,  in  fact, 
the  small  Petrels,  instead  of  Phalaropes;  though  their 
using  the  skins  medicinally,  to  wipe  their  rheumy  and  dis- 
eased eyes,  seems  to  decide  pretty  nearly  in  favor  of  the 
present  bird.  In  the  spring  of  1832,  about  the  beginning 
of  May,  so  dense  a  flock  were  setm,  on  the  margin  of  Chel- 
sea Beach,  in  this  vicinity,  that  9  or  10  were  killed  out  of 
it  at  a  single  shot :  these  were  'learly  all  old  birds,  and  on 
being  eaten,  proved  quite  pal^ilable. 

Mr.  Audubon  informs  me,  that  in  the  month  of  May  last, 
(1833,)  he  met  with  flocks  of  these  Phalaropes,  about  four 
miles  out  at  sea,  off  the  Magdalen  Islands,  where  they  are 
known  to  the  fishermen  by  the  name  of '  Sea  Geese,'  appear- 
ing more  or  less  every  year.  At  this  time,  they  were  in 
very  dense  flocks  of  about  100  together,  so  close  as  nearly, 
or  wholly  to  touch  each  other.  On  being  approached  they 
were  very  shy  and  wild,  and  as  they  rose  to  fly,  in  the  man- 
ner of  the  Sandpipers,  uttered  a  faint  clear  cry  of  'twee 
'tweet.  Like  Tringas  too,  they  alight  on  the  shore  or  the 
ground,  and  run  with  agility.  They  also,  at  times,  settle  on 
the  drifl  weed  and  JFuci,  in  order  to  glean  up  any  insects 


.'(, 


IIYPRRnORBAN    PHATAROPR. 


243 


which  may  occur.  They  squat  on  the  ground  like  Snipes ; 
breed  on  the  borders  of  small  ponds,  and  lay  only  about 
2  eggs. 

It  is  remarkable  enough,  that  all  these  flocks  consisted  of 
birds  of  both  sexes  assembling  to  breed,  and  in  imperfect 
plumage.  In  none  were  the  sides  and  front  of  the  neck 
wholly  red.  They  had  a  broad  patch  of  red  below  the  ears, 
not  extending  in  front,  and  the  blackish-grey  feathers  of 
the  back  and  scapulars  were  edged,  in  the  latter,  nearly 
round  with  pale  dull  rufous.  The  females  were  paler  in  all 
parts,  the  scapulars  merely  edged  with  whitish-rufous.  The 
brightest  of  these  birds  answers  to  Temminck's  description 
of  the  female  of  the  species.  While  Bonaparte  asserts  that 
the  females  are  always  much  brighter,  or  redder  than  the 
males  in  their  most  complete  plumage.  We  have,  there- 
fore, the  following  distinct  stages  of  appearance  in  this 
species.  The  young  of  the  year :  —  the  young  of  the  second 
ytar^  diflfering  in  the  appearance  of  the  sexes.  The  adults 
of  both  sexes  (probably  not  then  wholly  alike)  ;  and  finally, 
the  grey  livery  of  winter,  distributed  according  to  the  variof 
tions  in  the  preceding  plumage.  We  shall  then  have,  at 
this  rate,  6  or  7  different  states  of  plumage,  to  this  single 
species  of  Phalarope ! 


The  Hyperborean  Phalarope  is  about  from  7^  to  8  inches  long. 
Length  of  the  bill  from  the  rictus  1  inch ;  of  the  tarsus  10^  lines.  Alar 
stretch  12^  inches :  naked  space  upun  the  tibia  ^  an  inch.  Summer 
plumage  of  the  adult ;  Sides  and  front  of  the  neck  bright  brownish- 
orange ;  medial  stripe  on  the  latter,  the  sides  of  the  breast,  front, 
top,  and  sides  of  the  head,  nape,  and  fore  part  of  the  back,  blackish- 
grey.  The  rest  of  the  upper  plumage  brownish-black,  the  scapulars, 
interscapulars,  and  feathers  on  the  sides  of  the  back,  striped  exte- 
riorly with  yellowish-rufous,  the  centre  of  the  back  having  a  con- 
verging angular  space  destitute  of  spots.  Tail  and  wings  brownish- 
black  )  tertiaries  pale  ash,  below  and  a  stripe  on  the  outer  web  white. 
Wing  coyerts  brownish-black,  tipped  with  white ;  the  lower  ones  very 


244 


LOBE-FOOTED    BIRDM. 


broadly,  so  u  to  produce  a  conspicuous  white  band  across  tlin  wing. 
Lateral  tail  feathers  dusky-ash,  their  slmfls  and  edges,  Keveral  bari 
on  the  lateral  tail  coverts,  slmfls  of  the  primaries,  chin,  throat,  and 
the  rest  of  the  under  pluvnige  pure  white,  blotched  with  ash  beneath 
tlio  wings.  Tail  graduated.  Dill  black.  Legs  and  feet  blackish- 
green  ;  nails  very  short,  rather  flat  and  blunt,  the  deeply  scalloped 
edging  membranes,  elegantly  pectinated.     Iris  brown. 

The  young  before  the  moult :  witli  the  summit  of  the  head,  hind 
head,  nupc,  and  a  patch  behind  the  eyes,  deep  brownish-black.  Back, 
scapulars,  and  the  two  middle  tail  feathers  of  tlit^  same  dark  color, 
and  broadly  bordered  with  wax-yellow  or  pale  rufous.  Front,  throat, 
fore  part  of  the  neck,  breast,  and  the  other  lower  porta  wiiite,  but 
with  pale  cinereous  shades  upon  the  sides  of  the  breast  and  flank*. 
A  slight  shade  of  yellowish  or  brownidh  upon  the  sides  of  tlic  neck. 
Legs  and  feet  dusky  wax-yellovv.  In  the  young  of  tliia  age,  tho 
scapulars  do  not  reach  the  tip. of  the  4th  quill ;  and  the  tail  extends 
beyond  the  upper  unbarred  coverts  more  than  \  of  an  incli,  and  is 
also  somewhat  acute.  —  Phnlnrcpua  fiisnis,  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  770.  sp. 
4.  Coot-footed  Tringa,  Edwards,  Glean,  pi.  40.  Le  Pluilarope  Brun, 
Briss.  Orn.  vi.  p.  18. 

Winter  plumage  ;  In  a  young  specimen  obtained  in  this  vicinity, 
on  the  30th  of  August,  the  black  feathers  of  the  back  and  scapulars, 
are  moulting  into  ash-grey,  with  white  borders. 


!l 


■'  r 


Subgenus.  —  Holopodius.     (Bonap.) 


The  BILL  long,  very  slender,  flexible,  cylindrical,  and  of  equal 
breadth  throughout,  subulate,  the  point  sharp,  narrow,  and  slightly 
curved.  Nostrils  basal,  long  and  linear,  the  grooves  nearly 
obsolete.  Tongue  filiform,  acute.  Tarsi  rather  long,  and  somewhat 
stout,  compressed  and  two  edged ;  toes  elongated ;  the  outer  con- 
nected as  far  as  the  first  joint  to  the  middle  one ;  the  inner  almost 
divided  :  edging  membrane  narrow,  and  almost  wholly  entire :  hind 
toe  long,  resting  on  the  ground.  "Wings  long :  tail  rather  short. 
The  general  form  slender. 

'  Thpse  birds  have  a  considerable  resemblance  to  the  Tatlers  (Tota* 
WU8 ;)  but  the  dense  plumage  with  which  they  are  clad,  at  once  dis- 
tinguishes them,  and  indicates  their  residence  in  hyperboreal  regions. 


AMKRIOAN    PMALAROPI. 


345 


thfl  winif. 
voral  bar* 
liroat,  and 
ih  boneath 
blackish- 
r  scalloped 
■.<jl 
Head,  hind 
ck.    Back, 
lark  color, 
out,  throat, 
white,  but 
[ind  flanki. 
f  tlie  neck, 
is  age,  the 
tail  extends 
ncli,  and  is 
i.  p.  77G.  sp. 
arope  Brun, 

Ills  vicinity, 
d  Bcapulars, 


Ind  of  equal 
and  slightly 
loves  nearly 
id  somewhat 
outer  con- 
inner  almost 
\entire :  hind 
rather  short. 

itlers  (TotO' 

at  once  dis- 

Ireal  regions. 


AMERICAN  PHALAROPE. 

(PhalaropuM  Wiltonii,  Sabine,  Zool.  Append.  Franklin's  Ezped.  p. 
691.  BoRAP.  Synops.  No.  279.  &c.  et  Am.  Orn.  iv.  p.  59.  pi.  34. 
fig.  1.  [adult.]  and  pi.  25.  fig.  1.  [young.]  Richard,  North.  Zool. 
ii.  p.  405.  pi.  09.  P.frenatus,  Vibill.  Gal.  Ois.  ii.  p.  178.  pi.  271. 
P.  Jimbriattu,  Temm.  PI.  Color.  370.  [bad.]  Lobipet  incanus,  Bel- 
BY  and  Jard.  Orn.  Illust.  i.  Syn.  sp.  3. 1. 16.  [young.]  Phalaropus 
lohatiu,  Oro.  in  Wilson,  iz.  p.  72.  pi.  73.  fig.  2.  [bad.]  Phil.  Mu* 
■eum,  No.     .     .     .     [adult.]) 

Sp.  Charaot.  —  Bluish-grey,  beneath  white ;  an  elongated  chest- 
nut  patch  confluent  on  the  back,  and  a  blac.-  curving  band  on 
each  side  of  the  neck.  —  Winter  plumage  unknown.  Young  dus- 
ky-brown, centres  of  the  feathers  darker ;  beneath  white ;  i  .des  of 
the  neck  tinged  with  rufous,  but  accompanied  v.ith  no  b)'  -.k  line. 

This  elegant  Phalarope,  first  noticed  by  Wilson,  in  "^ 
museum  at  Albany,  was  afterwards  dedicated  to  his  name 
and  memory,  when  now  no  longer  conscious  of  tl  c  Lonor. 
Hurried  to  the  tomb  from  amidst  his  unfinished  aiid  ill  re- 
quited labors,  his  favorite  Orpheus  and  Wood  Thrush,  pour 
out  their  melody  in  vain.  The  Blue  Bird,  which  hafiens  to 
inform  us  of  the  return  of  spring,  and  of  the  approach  of 
flowers,  delights  no  longer  the  favorite  of  their' song.  Like 
his  own  beautiful  and  strange  bird,  now  before  us,  his  tran- 
sient visit,  which  delighted  us,  has  ended  ;  but  his  migra- 
tion, no  longer  to  be  postponed,  has  exceeded  the  bounds  of 
the  earth !  and  spring  and  autumn,  with  their  wandering 
hosts  of  flitting  birds,  may  still  return ;  \\-h'\e  he,  translated 
to  the  Elysian  groves,  will  only  be  remembered  in  the  thrill 
of  the  plaintive  nightingale  !♦*•♦»♦ 

Wilson's  Phalarope,  unlike  the  p^  feeding,  has  no  predi- 
lection for  the  ultimate  rang  j  of  the  Arctic  circle,  con- 
fining its  residence  consequently  to  the  shores  of  America, 
it  is  unknown  in  summer  beyond  the  SSth  parallel,  passing 
21» 


/-^ 


246 


LOBE-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


5?' 


! 


:     ■ 


the  period  of  reproduction  on  the  plains  of  the  Saskatche- 
wan, being  also  a  stranger  to  the  coasts  of  Hudson's  Bay. 
Taking  the  interior  of  the  continent  for  its  abode,  it  is  seen 
not  uncommon  on  the  borders  of  lakes,  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  city  of  Mexico.  In  these  situations,  choosing  the  shel- 
ter of  some  grassy  tufl,  it  forms  an  artless  nest,  in  which  it 
deposits  2  or  3  pyriform  eggs,  between  yellowish-grey  and 
cream  color,  interspersed  with  small  roundish  spots,  and  a 
few  larger  blotches  of  umber-brown,  somewhat  crowded 
towards  the  obtuse  end.  From  the  structure  of  its  legs 
and  feet,  this  remarkable  species,  so  distinct  from  the  others, 
appears  more  suited  for  a  wading  or  walking,  than  an  emi- 
nent swimming  bird.  In  the  United  States,  it  can  only  be 
considered  as  a  straggler,  of  which  a  specimen  has  been 
obtained  near  Philadelphia,  in  May,  and  another  in  the 
State  of  New  York.  As  yet,  we  have  never  met  with  it  in 
this  vicinity.  ■ 

Wilson's  Phalarope  appears  to  vary  in  size  from  9i  to  lOi  inches. 
The  bill  black,  and  very  straight,  1  inch  and  4  lines  long.  The  tar- 
sus compressed  as  in  the  Sea  Ducks,  1  inch  5  lines.  Naked  part  of 
the  thigh  7<^  lines.  The  middle  toe  1  inch.  Summer  plumage  of  the 
adult  female :  Crown  of  tlie  head  and  lores  pearl  grey :  medial  stripe 
on  the  neck  greyish-white.  Dorsal  plumage,  wings,  and  tail  broccoli- 
brown  5  shafts  of  the  primaries  umber-brown,  the  first  one  nearly 
white.  Lesser  quills  and  their  coverts  slightly  edged  with  white. 
Sides  of  the  neck  rich  chestnut-brown,  which  is  continued  in  a  stripe 
over  the  shoulders,  down  the  outside  of  the  interscapulars  :  there  is 
a  similar  stripe  on  the  outer  border  of  the  scapulars,  and  a  tinge  of 
the  same  color  over  the  throat.  A  spot  before  the  eye,  the  sides  of 
the  rump,  tips  of  the  lateral  tail  feathers,  also  stripes  on  their  shafts, 
and  mottling  on  their  inner  webs,  with  the  borders  of  the  upper  tail 
coverts,  the  chin,  and  under  plumage  pure  white.  A  velvet  black 
band  commences  on  the  lores,  includes  the  eye,  and  runs  half  way 
down  the  neck,  becoming  broader  after  passing  the  ears.  Legs 
brownish-black.    Tail  with  a  double,  but  very  shallow  emargination. 


AMBLVRHYNCHUS. 


247 


Icatche- 
l's  Bay. 
is  seen 
inity  of 
he  shel- 
which  it 
rrey  and 
ts,  and  a 
crowded 
■  its  legs 
le  others, 
1  an  e.ni- 
1  only  be 
has  been 
er  in  the 
with  it  in 


lOi  inches. 

r.     The  tar- 

> 

iked  part  of 
image  of  the 
ledial  stripe 
;ail  broccoli- 
one  nearly 
[with  white, 
id  in  a  stripe 
irs  :  there  is 
id  a  tinge  of 
the  sides  of 
their  shafts, 
le  upper  tail 
velvet  black 
ins  half  way 
ears.     Legs 
margination. 


,,i;,>-*'.   'rii^  : 


•  il*-,.; 


'  Subgenus.  —  *Amblyrhynchus. 


With  the  bill  slender  and  depressed,  dilated  and  rounded  at  the 
extremity.  The  feet  more  than  half  palmated,  and  the  toes  bor- 
dered with  a  plain  or  unscoUoped  membrane. 


PLAIN  PHALAROPE. 

(Phalaroj/us  glacialis,  Lath.  Plain  Phalarope,  Penn.  Arct,  Zool. 
No.  415.  Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  409.  Tringa  glacialis, 
Gmel.  Syst.  i.  p.  675.  sp.  32.  Phalarope  a  cou  jaune,  Sonnimi, 
edit,  de  BuFFON,  Ois.  xxiii.  p.  298.) 

This  very  singular  bird,  described  by  Pennant,  was  taken  to  the 
north  of  Behring's  Straits,  near  Icy  Cape,  in  latitude  69^  N.  and 
longitude  191^  E.  in  the  beginning  of  August,  or  end  of  July,  on  Cap- 
tain Cook's  last  voyage.     Recent  authors  have  very  unjustly  referred 
it  to  P.  hyperboreus,  gratuitously  supposing  it  to  be  an  example  in  the 
moult.     Dr.  Richardson  remarks,  "  I  have  ground  for  believing  that 
a  very  handsome  Phalarope,  answering,  in  some  particulars,  to  the 
Plain  Phalarope,  and  unknown  to  the   naturalists  of  the   present 
day,  exists  in  America.     In  September,  1819,  while  at  York  Factory, 
Hudson's  Bay,  a  small  bird  was  brought  to  me,  whii  h  had  a  de- 
pressed bill,  rounded  at  the  end  j  with  the  feet  more  than  half  pal- 
mated,  and  the  toes  evenly  bordered  to  the  nails.     Its  plumage,  as 
far  as  my  recollection  goes,  was  mostly  white.     The  natives  said  that 
it  was  the  only  bird  of  the  kind,  they  had  ever  seen."     This  speci- 
men, with  others  sent  to  London,  were  subsequently  lost,  and  the 
species  thus  thrown  back  into  its  original  obscurity.     But,  as  the 
Doctor  remarks,  from  the  rarity  of  this  bird  at  Hudson's  Bay,  it 
most  probably  frequents  the  northern  side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
and,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  it  may  one  day  be  found  in  New  Caledonia. 
This  specimen  was  probably  the  winter  plumage  of  the  species ; 
while  Pennant's  may  be  the  summer  livery.    It  is  thus  briefly 
described  by  him. 

"  Ph.  With  a  slender  black  bill,  dilated  at  the  end :  crown  dus- 
ky and  dull  yellow  :  across  each  eye  a  black  line  :  cheeks  and  fore 
part  of  the  neck  a  pale  clay  color,  "  (yellowish  :)  "  breast  and  belly 
white  :  back  and  tertials  dusky,  edged  with  dull  yellow :  wing  cov- 


248 


A 


LOBE-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


ertfl,  primaries,  and  tail,  cinereous ;  the  last  edged  like  the  tertials : 
legs  yellowish :  toes  bordered  with  a  plain  or  unscalloped  mem- 
brane."   Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  415. 


.m 


GREBES.     (PoDiCEPS.  Lath.) 

lir  these  birds  the  bill  is  of  moderate  dimensions,  robust,  hard, 
straight  and  compressed,  conically  elongated  and  acute ;  upper  man- 
dible  deeply  and  broadly  furrowed  each  side  at  base,  somewhat 
curved  at  tip ;  the  lower  navicular  (or  boat-shaped.)  Nostrils  in 
the  furrows,  basal,  lateral,  concave,  oblong,  pervious,  posteriorly  half 
closed  by  a  membrane.  Feet  turned  outward,  situated  far  back ;  the 
tibia  almost  hidden  in  the  belly ;  tarsus  much  compressed ;  anterior 
toes  greatly  depressed,  connected  at  base  by  a  membrane  forming  a 
broad  lobe  round  each  toe,  lobe  of  the  middle  toe  thrice  as  broad  as 
that  of  the  lateral ;  hind  toe  compressed,  articulated  internally  upon 
the  tarsus,  equal  in  length  to  a  joint  of  the  fore  toe  :  nails  wide  and 
flattened.  Wings  short  and  narrow,  the  3  first  primaries  nearly 
equal,  and  longest.  Tail  none )  in  its  place  a  small  tufl  of  downy 
feathers. 

The  female  is  similar  to  the  male  in  plumage ;  but  the  young 
are  very  different  from  the  adult,  not  acquiring  their  full  dress 
before  the  second  year :  the  adult  is  generally  distinguished  by  the 
presence  of  a  crest  and  ruff.  They  moult  in  spring  and  autumn, 
changing  then  their  colors,  and  periodically  losing  their  ornaments. 
The  plumage  is  very  thick,  compact  and  silky,  and  beneath  glossy. 
Colors  blackish  above,  and  silvery  white  below. 

The  Grebes  are  eminently  aquatic,  swimming  as  well  beneath  the 
water  as  on  its  surface,  and  in  this  submerged  progress,  besides  pad- 
dling, they  seem  to  use  their  wings  as  if  proceeding  in  the  air ',  they 
dive  for  a  great  length  of  time,  and  descend  so  far  as  to  be  some- 
times caught  by  accident  in  the  deep  sea  nets.  Indeed  they  travel, 
dwell,  sleep  and  migrate  on  the  water ;  their  facility  at  diving  and 
moving  in  this  element,  is  so  great  as  to  have  bestowed  upon  them 
the  emphatic  appellation  of  '  Water  Witches.'  During  summer  and 
the  breeding  b<  i^on,  penetrating  far  to  the  north,  even  into  the 
Arctic  circle,  they  pass  the  time  chiefly  in  fresh  waters,  particularly 
lakes,  estuaries,  and  sluggish  streams,  but  as  the  inclemency  of  the 
season  advances,  they  leave  tlieir  inland  retreats,  and  seek  out  the 


PODICEPS. 


249 


I  tertials: 
ed  mem- 


uBt,  hard, 
pper  man- 
somewhat 
osTRiLS  in 
sriorly  half 
back;  the 
I;  anterior 
forming  a 
as  broad  as 
nally  upon 
'^  wide  and 
ries  nearly 
t  of  downy 

the  young 

full  dress 

bed  by  the 

id  autumn, 

ornaments. 

ath  glossy. 

beneath  the 
)esides  pad- 
le  air ;  they 
,o  be  some- 
they  travel, 
diving  and 
upon  them 
lummer  and 
sn  into  the 
larticularly 
ency  of  the 
>ek  out  the 


open  waters  in  the  precincts  of  the  sea,  and  finally  venture  out  to 
the  margin  of  the  ocean  in  quest  of  food  and  shelter,  proceeding 
leisurely  towards  milder  climates,  and  spending  the  winter  often 
in  small  companies  in  bays  and  inlets,  free  from  the  influence  of 
severe  frost ;  in  such  situations  they  are  averse  to  landing  on  the 
shores,  from  their  inability  to  travel  far  by  land,  in  consequence  of 
the  inconvenient  and  posterior  situation  of  their  feet,  they  therefore 
only  waddle  and  flounder  along  slowly  over  the  surface,  being  unable 
to  rise  on  wing  often  from  the  level  ground,  though  flying  with  ease 
and  facility  for  a  short  distance  when  once  sufficiently  elevated.     In 
storms,  and  near  steep  and  surf-lashed  shores,  they  frequently  perish 
on   ^rounding,  as  they  are  unable  often  to  regain  the  water  beyond 
the  influence  of  the  breakers,  and  left  wrecked  on  the  strand,  they ' 
commonly  perish  of  hunger.     In  fact  they  never  come  to  land  but 
for  the  purpose  of  breeding,  and  then  select  swampy  and  submerged 
marshes,  fixing  their  nests,  which  often  float,  to  reeds  and  rank 
herbage.     This  rude  cradle  is  made  of  dry  grass,  and  lined  with 
the  down  plucked  from  their  own  bodies,  and  of  which,  indeed,  as 
well  as  feathers,  a  portion  is  commonly  found  within  their  stomachs ; 
an  appetite,  though   depraved,    which  originates  from  the   instinct 
employed  in  lining  the  nest  for  the  reception  of  the  caliow  brood. 
The  eggs  3  to  6,  are  covered  also  with  this  down,  whenever  they  are 
left,  and  the  parent  shows  a  strong  attachment  to  her  charge.    The 
young  are  covered  at  first  with  a  beautifully  spotted  down,  are  soon 
able  to  provide  for  themselves,  and  are  at  first  carefully  led  into  the 
water  by  the  example  of  the  attentive  parents.     The  mother  even 
swims  sometimes  with  the  young  on  her  back,  and  snatches  them  from 
danger,  by  diving  with  them  under  her  wings.     They  feed  on  fish, 
frogs,  reptiles,  aquatic  coleoptera,  and  occasionally  on  water  plants. 
The  species  are  spread  over  the  whole  world,  but  they  have  a 
predilection   for  the  high  boreal  climates,  to  which  most  of  them 
retire  in  summer  to  breed. 


Subgenus.  —  Podiceps. 

In  the  Grebes,  common  to  both  continents,  the  bill  is  slender 
from  the  base,  partly  cylindric,  and  with  the  point  straight  and  subu- 
late :  the  nostrils  are  also  elongated.  The  tarsus  thinly  compressed ; 
and  the  inner  and  middle  toe  united  by  a  membrane,  only  as  far  as 
the  first  articulation. 


-«n>ii'iiiiWW''*.i«»iii<''*iiniiiia»  i« 


.'i«>  » ^^.-^  %  i 


ffljlfWt»i 


if 


CRESTED  GREBE,  or  GAUNT. 

(Podiceps  cristatus,  Lath.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  364.  Richard. 
North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  410.  Le  Gribe  Cornu,  Buff.  Ois.  viii.  p.  235. 
t.  19.  PI.  Enlum.  400.  [adult.]  Crested  Grebe,  Penn.  Arct  Zool. 
ii.  p.  208.  Edwards,  Glean,  t.  3G0.  fig.  2.  Colymbus  urinator, 
Gmel.  sp.  9.  Tippet  Grebe,  Lath.  Syn.  v.  p.  283.  [the  young  of 
the  year.]  Meyer,  Vog.  Deut.  i.  Heft.  4.  t.  3.  [the  young  of  two 
years  of  age.]  ) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  longer  than  the  head,  from  the  front  to  the 
extremity,  about  2  inches,  reddish,  white  at  the  point ;  neck  be- 
neath, front,  and  secondaries  white.  —  Mult  with  the  neck  and 


■»  •W,#-*^«'«:C5>,' 


CRESTED  GREBE,  OR  GAUNT. 


251 


64.  Richard. 
>i8.  viii.  p.  235. 
ENN.  Arct  Zool. 
ymbus  urinator, 
5.  [the  young  of 
le  young  of  two 

;he  front  to  the 
point ;  neck  ba- 
the neck  and 


breast  white ;  sides  of  the  head  reddish,  a  flat  occipital  tufl  and  a 
broad  ruff  on  each  side  of  the  neck,  black.  Young  dull  colored, 
obscurely  spotted,  and  destitute  of  the  ornamental  feathers. 

The  Crested  Grebe,  inhabiting  the  northern  parts  of  both 
the  old  and  new  continents,  is  met  with  in  Iceland,  north- 
ern Europe,  and  the  cold,  as  well  as  temperate  parts  of  Si- 
beria ;  in  winter  passing  south  as  far  as  Italy,  and  along  the 
coasts  of  the  Mediterranean.  In  America,  they  are  found 
in  all  the  secluded  reedy  lakes  of  the  mountainous  and 
woody  districts,  in  the  remote  fur  countries  around  Hudson's 
Bay.  This  species  is  also  common  in  some  parts  of  Eng- 
land, where  it  is  known  by  the  provincial  name  of  Cargoose, 
or  Gaunt.  They  breed  in  the  meres  of  Shropshire  and 
Cheshire,  and  in  the  eastern  fen  of  Lincolnshire.  They 
also  pass  the  period  of  reproduction  in  some  of  the  Scottish 
Isles,  particularly  in  Zetland,  and  are  abundant  in  Ger- 
many, Holland,  and  France.  In  the  United  States  they  are 
only  seen  in  winter,  proceeding  leisurely  towards  the  south, 
as  the  severity  of  the  season  increases,  often  migrating  by 
wa^er,  rather  than  on  the  wing,  and  keeping  generally  at 
no  great  distance  from  the  sea,  or  tide-water  estuaries,  thus 
securing  their  retreat  from  the  surprise  of  sudden  and 
severe  frost. 

The  nest  of  the  Crested  Grebe,  concealed  among  the 
reeds  and  flags  of  the  ponds,  in  which  they  dwell  in  the 
summer,  is  made  of  rushes,  and  the  coarse  aquatic  herbage 
contiguous  to  the  chosen  spot,  and  so  constructed  as  often 
to  float  about  on  the  rise  of  the  surrounding  water  which 
penetrates  it,  notwithstanding  which,  the  female  still  sits 
steadfastly  on  the  floating  habitation,  defended  securely  from 
the  access  of  the  water,  by  the  density  of  her  oily  and 
downy  plumage.  The  eggs,  3  or  4,  are  of  a  whitish-green, 
waved,  or,  as  it  were,  soiled  with  deep  brown.  The  young 
are  fed  sometimes  with  small  eels,  and  fry ;  and  according 


■  ui-l»   ■'    .NIlJIlll 


252 


LOBE-FOOTEO    BIRDS. 


to  Pennant,  when  endangered  or  fatigued,  the  female  will 
carry  her  brood  upon  her  back,  or  under  her  wing.  Their 
food  consists  of  fish,  fry,  coleoptera,  marine  worms,  and 
often,  in  part,  of  vegetables.  In  Canada,  from  their  re- 
markable agility  in  diving,  they  are  known  by  the  name  of 
Water  Witches,  and  are  here  called  Dippers,  as  they 
plunge  beneath  the  water  on  the  least  appearance  of  danger, 
depending  very  little  on  their  wings  for  safety ;  and  when 
most  disturbed  seldom  fly  farther  than  from  one  side  of  the 
pool  to  the  other.  The  young  are  said  to  be  common  in 
the  winter  season,  in  small  flocks,  on  the  lake  of  Geneva, 
in  Switzerland,  and  are  killed  for  the  sake  of  their  beauti- 
ful skins ;  the  under  side  being  dressed,  with  the  feathers 
on,  are  made  into  mufls  and  tippets. 

The  length  of  this  species  is  from  23  inches  to  2  feet.  Length  of 
the  bill  from  above,  2  inches.  From  the  nostrils  to  the.  tip  of  the 
bill  1  inch  5  lines.  Upper  surface  of  the  head,  occipital  crest,  and 
lateral  ruff,  of  a  shining  black.  Bases  of  the  latter,  and  sides  of  the 
nape,  tinged  with  rufous.  Back  of  the  neck,  dorsal  plumage,  and 
wings,  blackish-brown.  Upper  border  of  the  wing,  tertiarics,  and 
all  the  secondaries,  except  3  or  4  posterior  ones  a  spot  before  the 
eye,  the  chin,  sides  of  the  head,  and  under  plumage  of  the  neck  and 
body,  white,  silvery  below.  Naked  space  from  the  bill  to  the  eye, 
red.  Bill  of  a  brownish  red,  above  dusky,  white  at  the  point.  Iris 
carmine.  Feet  blackish,  interiorly  yellowish- white.  —  Adults  after 
the  completion  of  the  third  moult.  The  female  is  a  little  smaller,  the 
crest  and  ruff  somewhat  shorter,  and  the  colors  a  little  duller. 

At  the  age  of  two  years,  and  after  the  completion  of  the  mmilt,  both 
sexes  have  a  very  short  occipital  crest  and  ruff,  the  former  bordered 
with  white  feathers  ;  there  is  also  no  Tufous  on  the  face,  which  is 
white.  A  blackish  irregular  band  from  the  bill  passing  under  the 
eyes,  and  terminating  on  the  nape.  —  The  young,  up  to  the  age  of  turn 
years  have  no  appearance  of  the  crest  or  ruff:  the  front  and  the 
face  are  also  white  :  upon  these  parts,  as  well  as  upon  the  upper 
part  of  the  neck,  are  scattered  irregular  zig-zag  bands  of  a  dusky* 
brown.  The  Iris  is  then  pale  yellow,  and  the  bill  reddish-livid.  The 
young  of  the  year  before  moulting  have  the  head  and  upper  part  of 


RED-NECKED    GREBE. 


253 


the  neck  of  a  deep  dusky-brown.  —  Le  Gribe  huppi,  et  le  Oribe, 
Buff.  Ois.  viii.  pp.  233,  et  227.  PI.  Enlum.  944,  and  941.  [the 
young  of  different  ages.]  Tippet  Grebe,  Lath.  Syn.  v.  p.  283.  [♦he 
young  of  one  year  old.] 


RED-NECKED  GREBE. 

(Podiceps  rubricollis,  Lath.  Temm.  ii.  p.  720.  Bonap.  Synops.  No. 
865.  Richard.  North.  Zool.ii.  p.  411.  Colymbus  rubricollis,  etsub- 
cri':t(ittis,  Gmel.  Syst.  sp.  24.  et  sp.  18.  Le  Gribe  a  joues  griscs, 
ou  Lc  Jou-Gris,  Buff.  Ois.  viii.  p.  241.  PI.  Enlum.  931.  Red- 
Necked  Grebe,  Lath.  Suppl.  i.  p.  2G1.  t.  118.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  as  long  as  the  head,  black,  yellow  at  the  base, 
from  the  front  to  the  tip  1^  inches ;  neck  beneath  reddish ;  front 
black  ;  secondaries  white.  —  Mult,  with  the  cheeks  and  throat  ash 
color  :  neck  and  beneath  rufous ;  crown  and  nape  with  a  narrow- 
ish  black  space  ;  a  short  occipital  black  crest,  but  no  ruff.  Young 
much  duller  colored  and  spotted;  no  occipital  crest;  cheeks  and 
throat  white,  the  former  striped  with  black. 

The  Red-Necked  Grebe,  like  most  of  the  other  species, 
retires  to  the  hyperboreal  regions  of  both  continents  to  pass 
the  breeding  season,  delighting  in  the  seclusion  of  the  deso- 
late wilderness,  penetrating  in  the  present  continent,  as  far 
as  the  remote  inland  shores  of  Great  Slave  Lake,  where  they 
were  observed  by  Captain  Franklin's  adventurous  party,  in 
the  month  of  May.  In  the  course  of  the  winter,  they  pro- 
ceed to  the  south,  probably  as  far  as  Florida,  but  are  rarely 
seen  in  the  United  States.  At  this  season  they  frequent 
lakes,  and  the  estuaries  or  rivers  in  the  vicinity  of  the  sea ; 
but  at  other  times  are  seen  more  abundantly  on  fresh  waters. 
They  are  common  in  the  eastern  parts  of  Europe,  and  fre- 
quently visit  Great  Britain,  Germany,  and  Switzerland. 
Their  food,  as  usual,  is  small  fish,  fry,  reptiles,  coleopterous 
insects  and  vegetables.  The  nest  is  similar  to  that  of  the 
22 


t'  ■ 


254 


LOUE-FOOTED   DIRDS. 


\ 


preceding  species ;  the  eggs  3  or  4,  of  a  whitish-green,  and 
appearing  as  if  soiled  with  yellowish  or  brown. 

The  length  of  tho  Rcd-Ncckcd  Grebe  is  from  17  to  18  inches. 
Bill  from  tho  front  1||  inches;  from  the  rictus  2j^.  Front,  summit  of 
the  head,  and  short  crest,  of  a  shining  black.  Checks  and  throat 
mouse  grey  ;  a  wide  black  band  along  the  nape.  Fore  part  of  the 
neck,  sides  and  summit  of  tho  breast  bright  rufous ;  all  the  other 
lower  parts  white,  with  the  exception  of  the  flanks  and  thighs, 
which  arc  spottud  witli  bluckish-brown.  Secondaries  white.  Base 
of  the  bill  yellow,  tlio  rest  black  Iris  reddish-brcwn.  Feet  ex- 
tremely black,  interiorly  yellowish-green. 

Young  birds  of  two  years  of  age  have  the  throat  and  cheeks  white ; 
upper  part  of  tlio  neck  yellowish-white,  upon  these  parts  are  scat- 
tered zig-zag  brown  and  blackish  bands.  The  top  of  the  head 
and  nape  black,  but  witliout  crest.  Lower  part  of  the  neck  and 
summit  of  the  breast,  of  a  dull  rufous,  varied  with  brown  ;  some  of 
the  feathers  of  tho  breast  and  the  vent  edged  with  grey.  Base  of 
the  bill  livid  yellow.  Iris  roddish-ycllow.  It  is  then  Colymbus 
parotis,  Sparman,  Mus.  Carls,  fasc.  i.  t.  9.     Gbiel.  sp.  21. 


HORNED  GREBE,  or  DOBCHICK. 

(Podiccps  comutus,  Lath.  sp.  5.  Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  411. 
BoNAP.  Synops.  No.  'HHi.  Tkmm.  Man.  d'Orn<  ii.  p.  721.  Colym- 
bus  cornutus,  GsiEii.  sp.  ID.  Le  Petit  Gr6be  Cornu,  Buff,  et  Le 
Gr6be  d'Esclavonie,  VI.  Enlum.  404.  Eared  or  Horned  Dobchick, 
Edwarus,  pi.  145.  [Hudson's  Bay  specimen.]  Black  and  White 
Dobchick,  Ib.  pi.  DC.  (anterior  figure.)  [young  English  specimen.] 
Horned  Grebe,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  417.  Dusky  Grebe,  Ib. 
No.  420.  [young.]     Phil.  Museum,  No.     .     .     .) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  shorter  than  the  head,  compressed  throughout ; 
secondaries  white ;  12  outer  primaries  entirely  brown.  —  Mult  dus- 
ky, beneath  white ;  neck  and  breast  rufous ;  a  broad  black  ruff  round 
the  neck ;  a  long  tuft  of  rufous  feathers  behind  and  above  each 
eye.  Young  pure  white  beneath,  except  the  neck,  the  white 
nearly  meeting  on  the  nape  :  no  ornamental  feathers. 


HORNED    GREBE. 


255 


reen,  and 

18  inches, 
t,  summit  of 

and  throat 
•  part  of  the 
M  the  other 
and  thighs, 
vhite.  Base 
i.    Feet  ex- 

heeks  white ; 
larta  are  scat- 
of  the  head 
he   neck  and 
»wn  J  some  of 
rey.    Base  of 
aen  Colymbus 
21. 


IK. 

5ool.  ii.  p.  411. 
721.  Colymr 
,  'Bvrr.  et  Le 
ned  Dobchick, 
ick  and  White 
ish  specimen.] 
jky  Grebe,  Ib. 

id  throughout ; 
x.—MultdviB- 
ilack  ruff  round 
nd  above  each 
(ck,  the  white 
rs. 


The  Horned  Grebe,  or  Dobchick,  is  also  an  inhabitant 
of  the  northern  regions  of  both  continents,  being  very  com- 
mon, in  the  summer  season,  throughout  the  Hudson's  Bay 
fur  countries,  frequenting  almost  every  lake  with  grassy 
borders,  in  which  seclusion,  about  the  month  of  June,  it 
constructs  its  nest  of  coarse  herbage,  which  left  afloat,  is 
sometimes  moored  to  the  surrounding  reeds  and  rushes. 
The  eggs,  3  or  4,  are  white,  spotted,  and  as  it  were,  soiled 
with  brown  ;  in  order  to  hide  them  from  its  enemies,  it  has 
the  habit  of  covering  the  eggs,  while  abroad.  In  the  au- 
tumn it  retires  to  the  south,  appearing  in  Massachusetts,  some- 
times in  the  small  fresh  water  lakes  near  the  ocean.  At  a  later 
period  they  retire  still  further,  being  very  common  in  the 
Middle  and  Southern  States,  where  they  are  known,  with 
other  species,  by  the  name  of  Dippers  and  Water  Witch- 
es. The  Indians  of  Hudson's  Bay  give  it  the  name  of 
Seekeep.  While  here,  they  keep  generally  in  the  salt  water 
swimming  and  diving  with  great  agility  and  elegance 
and  these  are  almost  universally  young  birds,  the  old  ones 
keeping  probably  more  inland  in  their  migrations  towards 
the  south.  In  most  of  the  individuals  which  have  fallen 
under  my  notice,  the  stomach,  like  a  pouch  in  form  has 
been  generally  swelled  out  with  its  own  feathers,  apparently 
bent  and  masticated  before  swallowing;  these  had  been 
feeding  on  minute  eels,  and  coleopterous  insects,  and  had 
besides  the  matted  feathers  plucked  from  the  breast  a 
quantity  of  sand  and  gravel.  Their  appetites  are,  indeed, 
keen  and  little  scrupulous,  for  which,  sometimes,  they  pay 
a  dear  forfeit,  as  happened  to  an  individual  seen  by  Mr.  N. 
Wyeth,  which  had  its  bill  clasped  in  the  shell  of  a  clam, 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  disable  it  both  from  flying  and 
divmg. 

The  Horned  Grebe  of  America  is  from  15^  to  16  inches  in  length, 
(that  of  Europe  \%  about  13^  inches.)    Head,  nape,  and  throat,  green- 


I 


; 


356 


LOBE-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


\ 


uh-black.  A  broad  buff-orange  eye  band,  which  it  reddish  before 
the  eye  and  on  the  side  of  tlie  nape.  Back  of  the  neck,  dorsal  plu- 
mage, and  wings,  blackish-brown  :  the  secondaries  white.  Under  sur- 
face uiid  sides  of  the  neck,  sides  of  the  breast,  the  flanks  and  thigh*, 
reddish -orange;  vent  greyish  :  the  rest  of  the  under  plumage  shin- 
ing yellowitfh-white.  Orbits  and  rictus,  lake-red.  Bill  bluish-black, 
the  tip  white.  Irids  red.  Legs  brownish,  paler  interiorly.  Plu- 
mage of  the  sides  of  the  head  and  nape  lengthened  so  as  to  form  a 
lateral  ruff.  The  colored  eye-band  forms  the  upper  margin  of  the 
ruff.  Nail  of  the  middle  toe  finely  pectinated.  —  The  young  are 
without  the  horned  eye-band  and  reddish-orange  plumage,  having 
the  throat  and  sides  of  the  head  below  the  eye,  and  a  apot  on  the 
lores  white  y  fore  part  of  the  neck  ash-colored.  In  the  European 
bird,  the  eye  appears  to  have,  as  it  were,  a  double  iris,  the  outer 
being  yellow,  and  the  inner  circle  bright  red.  In  the  young,  the 
outer  tircle  is  white,  the  inner  pale  red.  In  our  bird  the  iris  is 
simply  of  a  bright  salmon-red.  —  Podiceps  obscurus,  et  caspicus,  Lath. 
sp.  4.  [the  young.]  Colymbus  nigricans,  Scop.  Ann.  i.  No.  101. 
Eared  Grebe,  Lath.  var.  ^.  [a  bird  of  the  age  of  two  years.] 


EARED  DOBCHICK,  or  GREBE. 

(Podiceps  auritus,  Lath,  sp  3.  Colymbus  auritus,  Gmel.  sp.  8. 
Eared  Dobchick,  Edwards,  Glean,  t.  96.  fig.  2.  [a  correct  figure.] 
Meyer,  Tasschenb.  Deut.  ii.  p.  435.  Naum.  Vog.  t.  70.  fig.  108. 
Colymbo  suasso  turco,  Stor.  degl.  Ucc.  v.  t.  520.  [adult.]) 

Si>,  Charact.  —  Bill  shorter  than  the  head,  about  8  lines  long  from 
the  front,  depressed  at  base,  somewhat  recurved  at  the  point, 
black  :  secondaries  white ;  inner  primaries  white  on  the  inner 
vanes.  —  Mult  blackish,  beneath  white;  neck,  breast,  crest,  and 
very  short  ruff,  black ;  a  long  slender  tufl  of  reddish  feathers 
behind  and  beneath  each  eye,  covering  the  earn-  Young  pure 
white  beneath,  on  the  cheeks  and  sides  of  the  neck,  this  color 
extending  but  little  on  the  hind  head  :  no  ornamental  feathers. 

As  this  -species  is  very  common  to  the  north  of  the  old  continent, 
it  will  probably  be  found  in  America.  It  is  abundant  upon  the  riv- 
ers and  fresh-water  lakes,  near  the  sea  coasts  in  Europe,  particularly 
in  Germany,  France  and  Switzerland.  ^  .  '; 


:  ....itJi/^i;;, 


■^5|8f;«f. 


^NH 


;.j^. 


LITTLE  GREBE,  or  DABCHICK. 

(Podiceps  minor.  Lath.  ."p.  9.  Tkmm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  727.    P. 

hebridicus,  Lath.  sp.  IJ.     Cohjmbua  minor,  Gmel.  ii.  p.  594.     Le 

GrSbe  de  riviire,  ou  Castagneux,  Buff.  Ois.  viii.  p.  244.  t.  20.     PI. 

Enlum.  905.  [young  of  the  year.]     Gribe  Montagnard,  Sonnini, 

Nouv.  Ed.  de  Buff.  Ois.  xxiii.  p.  336.) 
Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  very  short,  strong  and  compressed  j  the  aduli 

without  crest  or  ruff;  the  tarsus  very  rough  behind  :  secondariet 

white  at  the  base  and  on  their  inner  webs. 

The  Dabchick,  the  smallest  of  the  species,  in  length 
only  about  10  inches,  is  again  a  race  of  birds  common  to 
the  colder  parts  of  both  continents,  having  been  seen  around 
Hudson's  Bay,  though  hitherto  unknown  even  as  a  visiter 
within  the  limits  of  the  United  States.  This  is  the  least 
and  most  plentiful  species,  being  common  in  Europe  and 
the  north  of  Asia  in  most  lakes,  slow  running  rivers, 
streams  and  ponds,  which  are  well  supplied  with  the  shelter 
of  reeds.  It  seldom  takes  to  wing,  but  dives  on  the  least 
22* 


368 


LORE-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


\ 


alarm,  and  will  remain  under  water  amongst  the  floatin^ir 
weeds  and  sheltering  herbage,  with  its  bill  alone  elevated 
above  for  respiration.  Its  nest,  like  that  of  other  Grebes,  is 
formed  of  a  large  quantity  of  coarse  aquatic  plants,  piled  to-- 
gether  to  the  thickness  of  a  foot,  and  is  generally  fastened  to 
the  reeds  or  flags,  in  order  to  prevent  its  removal  by  the  cur- 
rent. The  eggs,  5  or  C  in  number,  are  of  a  dirty  white,  and 
somewhat  less  than  those  of  a  pigeon.  These  are  generally 
covered  with  weeds  for  concealment  in  the  absence  of  the 
birds;  yet  with  every  precaution  they  are  frequently  de- 
stroyed by  the  water  rat. 

In  large  rivers  these  little  divers  are  often  devoured  by 
pike  and  trout,  while  they  arc  themselves  engaged  in  the 
pursuit  of  small  fish.  In  the  spring  the  males  are  very  ac- 
tive in  pursuit  of  their  intended  mates,  and  at  such  times 
frequently  fly  along  the  surface  of  the  water  to  a  small 
distance,  uttering  often  a  shrill  chattcrinar  noise.  After 
the  breeding  season,  they  frequent  the  inlets  of  the  sea, 
and  feed  on  shrimps  and  other  marine  productions.  This 
species  is  not  uncommon  in  most  parts  of  the  old  continent, 
but  is  by  no  means  frequent  in  the  north. 

The  length  of  tlie  Dabchick  is  only  about  10  inches.  Adults  of 
both  sexes,  at  the  age  of  3  years :  With  the  throat,  summit  of  the  head, 
and  nape,  deep  black.  Sides  and  fore  part  of  the  neck  bright  chest- 
nut.  Breast  and  flanks  blackish  ;  the  remainder  of  the  under  plu- 
mage blackish-ash,  varied  with  some  white  shades;  thighs  and 
rump  tinged  with  rufous.  Upper  parts  blackish,  with  olivaceous  re- 
flections. Quills  ashy-brown ;  secondaries  white  interiorly  and  at 
base.  Bill  black,  base  of  the  lower  mandible,  naked  space  to  the 
eye,  and  extreme  point  of  the  bill,  whitish.  Iris  reddish-brown. 
Feet  externally  greenish-brown,  interiorly  flesh  color. 

The  young,  after  completing  the  moult,  at  the  close  of  the  first  year, 
have  the  summit  of  the  head,  nape,  and  upper  part  of  the  sides  of 
the  neck,  white,  varied  with  irregular  light  and  dark  bands  and 
spots  of  rufous-brown.  Behind  the  eye  are  some  small  oblique 
streaks  of  white.    Lower  part  of  the  anterior  portion  of  the  neck, 


.,.;„,/>;.... 


riLk^uMMJhUjJiA* 


PIED-BILL   OOBCIIICK. 


250 


breMt  and  flanki,  palo  rufoui,  varied  with  blackish  ihodci  upon 
the  thighs.     Middle  of  the  belly  white. 

The  young  of  the  year  liave  the  top  of  the  head,  nope,  and  upper 
parts  ashy-brown,  slightly  tinted  witli  rufous.  The  throat  white. 
Bides  of  tin;  neck  palo  ashy-rufous.  Foro  part  of  tlic  neck,  top  of 
the  breast  and  flanks  more  or  loss  deeply  whitish-rufous.  Vent 
pure  white.  Lower  mandible  and  the  borders  of  the  upper  one, 
yellowish-ash  color,  the  remainder  of  tho  bill  brown.  Iris  dork 
brown.  ,,,,   ,     ,    - 


Subgenus.  —  *nYDUoKA. 

Bill  very  stout,  compressed  and  curved  strongly  at  the  point. 
Nostrils  somewhat  rounded.  Tarsus  robust,  shorter  than  the  inner 
toe.  Inner  and  middle  toe  united  by  a  membrane  beyond  the  first 
articulation,  the  outer  and  middle  one  equal  in  length.  Wings  very 
short.  —  Peculiar  to  America. 


PIED-BILL  DOBCHICK. 

(Podiceps  carolinensiSf  Lath.  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  8G7.  Richard. 
North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  412.  Colymhus  podiceps,  and  C.  ludovicianus, 
Gmel.  Pied-Bill  Dobchick,  Catesb.  Car.  i.  pi.  91.  [adult].  Buff. 
PL  Enlum.  943.  [young.]  Pied-Bill  Grebe,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  No. 
418.     Phil.  Museum,  No.  ...  ) 

Sp.  Charact. — Bill  much  shorter  than  the  head,  about  9  lines  long 
from  the  front,  greatly  compressed  and  bent  at  the  point ;  neck  be- 
neath much  colored ;  all  the  quills  dusky. — Adult  with  the  feathers 
of  the  hind  neck  somewhat  elongated  ;  chin  and  throat  black  ;  bill 
with  a  black  band.  Young  dull  ferruginous  on  the  sides  and 
throat ;  chin  white ;  bill  without  a  band. 

The  Pied-Bill  Dobchick  is  an  exclusive  inhabitant  of 
the  North  American  continent,  proceeding  north  to  breed 
as  far  as  the  remote  fur  countries  of  upper  Canada ;  a  spe- 


260 


LOBE-FOOtED   BIRDS. 


\ 


cimen  having  been  killed  on  Great  Slave  Lake  by  the  ex- 
ploring party  of    Captain  Franklin.     They  arrive  in  the 
Northern  and  Middle  States  about  the  close  of  August,  and 
are  then  seen  residing  in  our  small  fresh-water  lakes,   until 
the  approach  of  winter,  when  they  retire  probably  as  far 
south  as  the  lagoons  of  the  Mississippi,  and  the  tide-water 
streams  and  bays  of  the  Mexican  Gulf.     It  is  the  most  com- 
mon species  in  the  Union,   and  is  met  with  in  all  the  states 
as  far  as  Florida,  leaving  those  countries  however  for  the 
north  in  the  month  of  April.    Most  of  the  birds  seen  in  this 
vicinity  are  young  or  unadult;  they  fee.    principally  on  fish 
and  aquatic  insects,  such  as  large  Nepas,  and  other  kinds. 
They  often  swim  about  without  appearing  to  take  any  alarm 
from  the  peaceful  spectator ;  but  in  the  next  moment  dive 
and  swim  under  water  for  s:  ch  a  length  of  time,  as  to  ap- 
pear, for  several  minutes,  entirely  invisible ;  and  at  such 
times,  these  Water  Witches,  as  they  are  deservedly  called, 
are  often  moving  about  entirely  submerged  to  the  bill,  which 
is  the  only  part  elevated  above  the  water,  and,   in  the  cov- 
ert of  the  surrounding   aquatic   herbage,  tliis  small  project- 
ing point  is  not  only  easily  overlooked  but  with  difficulty  dis- 
covered.    Like  Ducks,  they  are  also  somewhat  nocturnal  in 
their  habits,  and  may   be  perceived  after  sun-set,  in   the 
dusky  twilight,  actively  engaged,  and  swimming  about  the 
ponds  with  great  activity.     While  here  they  are  not  heard 
to  utter  any  note,  and  theii  breeding  places  are  wholly  un- 
known.    The  young  are  often  eaten,  and  are  generally  ten- 
der and  well  flavored. 

This  species  is  about  14  inches  in  length.  Upper  plumage  dusky- 
brown  ;  the  secondaries  obliquely  tipped  with  white.  A  conspicu- 
ous black  roundish  patch  under  the  chin,  extending  an  inch  or  more 
down  on  the  throat ;  the  rest  of  the  throat  and  cheeks  brownish-grey  ; 
a  patch  on  the  breast  dotted  or  clouded  with  brownish-white  and 
black.    The  belly,  almost  white,  mottled  under  the  wings  and  along 


\ 


RED-BILL   DOBCHICK. 


261 


!  by  the  ex- 
rive  in  the 
August,  and 
lakes,   until 
»ably  as  far 
,e  tide-water 
e  most  com- 
all  the  states 
vever  for  the 
1  seen  in  this 
ipally  on  fish 
other  kinds, 
ie  any  alarm 
moment  dive 
n:e,  as  to  ap- 
and  at  such 
vedly  called, 
le  bill,  which 
,   in  the  cov- 
small  project- 
difficulty  dis- 
nocturnal  in 
in-set,  in   the 
|ng  about  the 
ire  not  heard 
e  wholly  un- 
;enerally  ten- 


ths flanks  nearly  as  on  the  breast.  Rump  darker,  its  sides  above  dus- 
ky, but  the  downy  base  of  the  feathers  pale  yellowish-rufous.  Bill 
with  a  broad  black  band  round  its  middle  including  the  nostrils,  its 
length,  measured  from  above,  about  |  of  an  inch.  Irids  hazel.  Legs 
black,  with  a  slight  tinge  of  brown. 

In  the  young  bird,  there  is  often  already  a  vestige  of  the  black 
transverse  band,  but  the  chin  is  nearly  white.  The  sides,  front  of 
the  neck,  and  top  of  the  breast,  as  well  as  the  flanks,  are  of  a  light 
chestnut-brown  ;  lower  part  of  the  breast  more  faintly  tinged  with  the 
same  color ;  the  belly  silvery-white  tinged  with  a  ^^hade  of  brown  j 
the  vent  grey. — Le  GrSbe  de  la  Loui'ianc,  Buff.  Ois.  viii.  p.  240.  PI. 
Enlum.  943.  Louisiana  Grebe,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  207.  No.  419. 


S 


\lumage  dusky- 
A  conspicu- 
In  inch  or  more 
Irownish-grey ; 
lish-white  and 
kngs  and  along 


imi 


WEB-FOOTED  BIRDS  (Palmipedes,  Temm.) 


i 


< 

I 


f   I 


In  this  order  of  birds  the  bill  is  of  forms  too  various  to 
admit  of  any  general  definition.  The  feet  are  short, 
placed  more  or  less  back,  and  drawn  up  considerably  to- 
wards the  abdomen  :  anterior  toes  partially  or  wholly  web- 
bed, the  membrane  sometimes  deeply  sinuated,  so  as  tc  leave 
nearly  half  the  length  of  the  toes  unconnected  :  the  hind 
toe  articulated  interiorly  upon  the  tarsus  or  wholly  absent. 

The  female  is  generally  smaller,  but  in  other  respects  very 
similar  in  plumage  with  the  male,  except  among  the  Ducks 
and  Mergansers;  the  young  differ  greatly  from  the  adult. 
They  moult  usually  twice  in  the  year ;  and  the  plumage  is 
peculiarly  thick,  close,  abundantly  provided  with  down,  and 
naturally,  without  any  peculiar  provision,  so  oily  as  to  be 
impermeable  to  the  water  in  which  this  tribe  so  generally 
dwell.  The  body  appears  almost  boat-shaped,  or  in  a  form 
which  offers  the  least  resistance  to  their  motion  in  the  water. 
The  tail  consists  of  from  12  to  20  feathers. 

Many  of  the  birds  of  this  order  may  be  almost  designa- 
ted as  inhabitftiits  of  the  sea,  they  seldom  leave  it  to  any  great 
distance,  and  dwell  generally  near  the  •  oast ;  it  is  rare  to 
meet  with  them  upon  fresh  waters  in  the  interior  of  the  land, 
and  then  chiefly  by  accident,  or  when  performing  their  peri- 
odical passage.  The  greater  number  of  the  species  which 
compose  the  first  genera  of  this  order,  repose  upon  the  sur- 
face of  the  sea,  are  indefatigable  in  flight,  habitual  swim- 
mers, but  so  light  and  full  of  feathers  as  to  be  almost  wholly 
incapable  of  diving  :  others  again  both  swim  and  submerge ; 
there  are  a  few  which  live  co  tinually  at  sea,  and  but  for  the 
necessity  of  aerial  respiration,  could  almost  entirely  subsist 


SKTMMERS. 


263 


in  t].e  liquid  element;  these  are  never  seen  on  land  but  dur- 
ing the  short  period  of  reproduction ;  many  indeed  leave 
their  eggs  for  the  greater  part  of  the  time  to  the  hatching 
influence  of  the  sun.  Some,  as  many  of  the  Anatiu^e,  dwell 
mostly  on  fresh  waters,  and  retire  into  the  interior  to  breed  j 
approaching  the  sea  only  in  the  period  of  their  migrations. 
All  the  birds  of  the  order  nest  on  the  ground,  in  holes, 
crevices  or  shelvings  of  rocks,  or  merely  upon  the  elevated 
borders  of  the  strand ;  a  few,  however,  habitually  or  acci- 
dentally nest  in  trees  or  in  hollow  stumps.  As  the  young 
are  early  capable  of  providing  shelter  for  themselves,  many 
have  no  proper  nest,  and  in  all  it  is  rude  and  artless.  Their 
food,  as  their  habits  indicate,  is  chiefly  aquatic ;  such  as 
fish,  fry,  shelly  mollusca,  and  marine  insects,  to  which  some 
species  also  add  vegetables. 


SKIMMERS.     (Rhincops.  Lin.) 

In  the  singular  birds  of  this  genus  the  bill  is  longer  than  the 
head,  straight,  much  compressed,  but  somewhat  four-sided  at  the 
base  ;  upper  mandible  much  shorter  than  the  lower,  somewhat  curv- 
ed, rather  acute,  grooved  so  as  to  receive  ih-  odge  of  the  lower : 
lower  mandible  narrower,  truncated  or  cut  .f;  at  the  ^oint,  fitting 
into  the  channel  of  the  upper  like  the  blade  of  a  ''.niib.  Nostrils  ba- 
sal, marginal,  concave,  longitudinal,  open  and  pervious.  Tongue  very 
short,  narrow  and  acute.  Feet,  moderate,  slender ;  tarsus  some- 
what longer  than  the  middle  toe;  mid«iio  toe  longest;  inner  shorter 
than  the  outer ;  webs  emarginate  :  the  lateral  toe  bordered  exteriorly 
with  a  narrow  membrane :  hind  toe  short,  articulated  rather  high  on 
the  tarsus,  touching  the  ground  at  tip.  Winga  extremely  long,  curv- 
ing upwards ;  1st  primary  longest,  and  -  ith  the  2d  much  longer  than 
the  rest.    Tail  forked,  of  12  feathers. 

The  sexes  alike  in  plumage  ;  but  the  young  differing  from  the 
adult.  The  moult  takes  place  twice  in  the  year,  without  inducing 
much  change  in  the  appearance  of  the  plumage. 


f      J 


264 


w 


WEB-POOTED    BIRDS. 


The  Skimmers  keep  in  small  parties  near  the  shores,  and  seldom 
venture  far  to  sea.  They  seek  repose  on  the  strand,  and  in  the  neigh- 
bouring marshes  ;  walk  badly,  keep  much  on  wing,  seldom  alight- 
ing, particularly  on  the  water,  and  they  never  swim,  notwithstanding 
the  presence  of  their  webbed  feet.  They  fly  slowly,  flapping  their 
wings  while  in  quest  of  prey,  but  proceed  swift  and  tortuous  in  their 
course  when  it  is  once  discovered.  Their  voice  is  loud,  harsh,  and 
screaming.  They  feed  on  small  fish,  and  other  light  productions  of 
the  ocean,  skimming  along  the  surface  of  the  water,  in  which  they 
dip  the  lower  mandible,  the  upper  being  elevated  out  of  the  water 
tintil  the  prey  is  felt  by  the  lower.  They  breed  in  society,  on  rocks, 
or  on  sandy  and  elevated  shores,  without  forming  any  artificial  nest ; 
and  lay  three  oval  eggs ;  raising  but  a  single  brood. — The  Skimmers 
are  chiefly  inhabitants  of  tropical  climates ;  and  are  found  in  all  lon- 
gitudes. The  genus  consists,  however,  of  but  three  species,  there 
being,  besides  the  present,  one  in  India,  and  another  in  tropical 
America.  -   i- 


BLACK  SKIMMER. 

(jRJiincops  nigra,  Lin.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  283.  Cut  Water,  Cates- 
av,  i.  p.  90.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  445.  Wilson,  vii.  p.  85.  pi.  CO.  fig.  4. 
Le  Bee  en  Ciseaux,  Bvff.  viii.  p.  454.  tab.  30.  PI.  Enlum.  357.  Phil. 
Museum.  No.  3530.; 

Sp.  Charact. — Black,  beneath  white;  bill  and  feet  red,  the  former 
black  at  the  point. 

The  Cut-Water  or  Black  Skimmer,  is  a  bird  of  passage 
in  the  United  States,  appearing  in  New  Jersey  from  its  trop- 
ical winter  quarters  early  in  May.  Here  it  resides  and 
breeds  in  its  favorite  haunts,  along  the  low  sand-bars,  and  r 
dry  flats  of  the  strand,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
ocean.  Their  nests  have  been  found  along  the  shores  of 
Cape  May,  about  the  beginning  of  June,  and  consist  of  a 
mere  hollow  scratched  out  in  the  sand,  without  the  addi- 
tion of  any  extraneous  materials.  The  eggs  are  usually 
8  in  number,  oval,  about  1^  to  9  inches  by  1;^,  and  nearly 


BLACK   SKIMMER. 


265 


pure  white,  marked  almost  all  over  with  large  umber-brown 
Hotches  and  dashes  of  two  shades,  and  other  faint  ones  ap« 
pe>,ring  beneath  the  surface.  In  some  eggs  these  particular 
blotches  are  from  half  an  inch  to  an  inch  in  length.  As 
the  birds,  like  the  Terns  and  Gulls  to  which  tJ>?y  are  allied, 
remain  gregarious  through  the  breeding  season,  it  is  possible 
to  collect  a  half  bushel  or  more  of  the  eggs  from  a  single 
sand  bar,  within  the  compass  of  half  an  acre  ;  and  though  not 
very  palatable,  they  are  still  eaten  by  the  inhabitants  of  the 
coast.  The  female  only  sits  on  her  nest  during  the  night, 
or  in  wet  and  stormy  weather ;  but  the  young  remain  for 
several  weeks  before  they  acquire  the  full  use  of  their  wings, 
and  are  during  that  period  assiduously  fed  by  both  parents  ; 
at  first  they  are  scarcely  distinguishable  from  the  sand  by 
the  similarity  of  their  color,  and  during  this  period  may 
oflen  be  seen  baskinr  in  the  sun,  and  spreading  out  their 
wings  upon  the  w  rm  beach.  The  pair,  retiring  to  the 
south,  in  September,  or  as  soon  as  their  young  are  prepared 
for  their  voyage,  raise  but  a  single  brood  in  the  season. 

The  Skimmer  is,  I  believe,  unknown  to  the  north  of  the 
sea-coast  of  New  Jersey,  and  probably  passes  the  period  of 
reproduction  along  the  whole  of  the  southern  coast  of  the 
United  States.  The  species  is  also  met  with  in  the  equato- 
rial regions,  where  it  is  alike  resident,  as  far  as  Surinam, 
but  never  penetrates  into  the  interior,  being,  properly  speak- 
ing, an  oceanic  genus.  Its  voice,  like  that  of  the  Tern,  is 
loud,  narsh,  and  stridulous.  In  quest  of  its  usual  prey  of 
small  fish  and  mollusca,  it  is  frequently  observed  skimming 
close  along  shore  about  the  first  of  the  flood  tide,  proceeding 
leisurely  with  a  slowly  flapping  flight,  and  balancing  itself  on 
its  long  and  outstretched  wings,  it  is  seen  every  now  and 
then  to  dip.  with  bended  neck,  its  lower  mandible  into  the 
sea,  and  with  open  mouth  receives  its  food,  thus  gleaning 
and  ploughing  along  the  yielding  surface  of  the  prolific  deep. 

23 


266 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


H' 


I 


They  keep  also  among  the  sheltered  inlets  which  intervene 
between  the  main  land  and  the  sea,  where  they  roam  about 
in  companies  of  8  or  10  together,  passing  and  repassing  at 
the  flood  tide,  like  so  many  grotesque  and  gigantic  swal- 
lows, the  estuaries  of  the  creeks  and  inlets  which  penetrate 
into  the  salt  marshes,  exhibiting  the  necessary  alertness  in 
the  capture  of  their  approaching  prey,  which  oflen  consists 
of  small  crabs,  and  the  more  minute  crustaceous  animals, 
which  abound  in  such  situations,  and  around  the  masses  of 
floating  sea-weeds  and  wreck.  But  though  €0  exclusively 
maritime,  the  range  of  the  Cut-water  is  entirely  limited  to  the 
peaceful  and  calm  borders  of  the  strand  ;  notwithstanding 
the  vast  expansion  of  their  long  wings,  they  have  no  induce- 
ment to  follow  the  adventurous  flight  of  the  Petrel,  as  the 
ever  agitated  and  wave-tossed  surface  of  the  restless  deep, 
would  be  to  them,  with  the  peculiar  mechanism  of  their  bill, 
a  barren  void,  over  which  tl:ey  consequently  never  roam, 
and  on  whose  bosom  they  rarely  ever  rest,  preferring  with 
the  Terns,  when  satisfied  with  food,  the  calm,  indolent, 
and  surer  repose  of  the  insolated  shoal  lefl  bare  by  the  recess 
of  the  tide,  where  associated  in  flocks  they  are  oflen  seen  to 
rest  from  their  toilsome  and  precarious  employ,  '.y/f-  :ifuifHSK' 

The  Skimmer  is  about  19  inches  in  length,  the  closed  wings  ex- 
tend beyond  the  tail  4  inches :  alar  stretch  44  inches  !  Length  of 
the  lower  mandible  4i  inches ;  of  the  upper  3^,  both  red,  tinged  with 
orange,  and  tipt  with  black.  Upper  part  of  the  head,  neck,  back  and 
scapulars,  black ;  wings  the  same,  except  the  secondaries  which  are 
white  on  their  inner  vanes,  and  also  tipt  with  white.  Tail  forked, 
the  two  middle  feathers  about  an  inch  and  a  half  shorter  than  the 
exterior  ones,  all  black,  broadly  edged  on  either  side  with  white : 
tail  coverts  white  on  i>,  out'  i  -.ides,  black  in  the  middle.  — Front,  pass- 
ing down  the  neck  l^elow  the  eye,  thioat,  breast,  and  whole  lower 
parts,  white.  Legs  n  >.  c,  webbed  feet,  red  ic-ad  color.  —  The  female  only 
IG  inches  long,  and  i'J  in  alar  stretch  ;  similar  with  the  male  in  plu- 
mage, except  in  the  tail  which  is  white,  shafted,  and  broadly  center- 
ed with  black.      '  '  S  '  '':"'' 


■j.A 


TERNS,  OR  SEA-SWALLOWS.     (Sterna,  Ltn.) 

In  these  birds  the  bill  is  as  long  or  longer  than  the  head,  almost 
straight,  compressed,  subulate  and  acute  at  the  point ;  edges  sharp ; 
upper  mandible  more  or  less  curved  at  the  tip,  never  hooked,  the 
lower  equal  in  length  with  the  upper.  Nostrils  towards  the  middle 
of  the  bill,  longitudinal,  linear,  pervious.  Tongue  slender,  clefl  and 
acute  at  tip.  Feet  small,  a  naked  space  above  the  knee  ;  tarsus  short- 
er than  the  middle  toe ;  toes  4,  the  3  anterior  united  by  a  sinuated 
membrane  or  web ;  hind  toe  and  its  nail  very  short,  touching  the 
ground  merely  at  tip.  JVails  small  and  curved.  Wings  very  long  and 
acuminated,  incurved ;  1st  primary  longest.  Tail  of  13  feathers, 
rather  long,  and  generally  forked. 

The  sexes  alike  in  color ;  the  female  a  little  smaller.  The  young 
differing  from  the  adult  during  the  first  or  second  moult.  The 
moult  takes  place  twice  in  the  year ;  in  the  spring  changing  the 
color  of  the  head  only :  the  plumage  soft  and  copious.  The  colors 
white,  with  ashy -blue  tints,  and  some  parts  black ;  or  black  with 
some  white.  The  young  more  or  less  mottled  and  varied,  with  dusky 
colors,  unknown  in  the  adults.  V 

The  Terns,  or  Swallows  of  the  ocean,  usually  congregate  in 
flocks,  and  live  almost  continually  in  the  vicinity,  and  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  sea ;  some,  however,  proceed  inland,  and  indifferently 
inhabit  lakes  of  fresh  water,  as  well  as  the  precincts  of  the  ocean. 
Their  flight  is  elevated  and  almost  perpetual,  sometimes  extending 
80  far  into  the  ocean,  as  to  be  no  indication  to  the  mariner  of  ap-, 
proaching  land.  They  exercise  and  pursue  their  prey  by  making  ex- 
tensive rounds  or  circuits,  and  often  also  skim  over  the  surface  of 
the  water,  from  whence  they  snatch  the  object  as  it  appears ;  at  oth- 
er times  they  are  seen  to  hover  over  their  quarry  and  dart  upon  it  di- 
rectly, falling  from  above  with  such  force  as  to  plunge  into  the  wa- 
ter, and  seldom  miss  their  aim.  They  are  scarcely  evr;r  seen  upon 
the  water,  and  never  swim  from  choice  :  they  often  however  alight 
upon  the  beach  or  sand  shoal,  or  upon  rocks  and  poles.  The  voice  of 
the  Tern  is  sharp,  shrill,  and  quailing,  being  ofl«n  repeated  in  fine 
weather,  and  they  are  extremely  irritable  and  jealous  of  any  intru- 
sion on  their  breeding  retreats.  They  feed  mostly  on  fish,  the  larger 
species  also  attack  the  eggs  and  young  of  water  birds ,  and  some  feed 


Mg^^-:'C^\'yT.lF^..'^-l' '  "'.^^r'=»it^l•T'^™  " 


^m^. 


268 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


almost  wholly  on  insects,  which,  like  Swallows,  they  sometimes  seize 
and  devour  as  they  continue  their  flight.  They  nest  in  great  numben 
on  the  baro  ground,  slightly  hollowed,  or  on  rocks  and  shores,  pre- 
ferring such  as  are  insulated,  remaining  in  close  community  with 
each  other ;  the  eggs  are  fVom  2  to  4,  and  from  their  different  mark- 
ings and  relative  size  in  the  same  nest,  there  is  reason  to  suppose 
ttiat  they  sometimes  lay  in  each  others.  The  hatching  of  the  f>ggs  is 
mostly  Icfl  to  the  influence  of  the  sun,  yet  the  young  are  sedulously 
fed  and  protected.  —  The  species  are  met  with  on  almost  every  sea 
coast  in  the  world ;  and  many  are  common  to  the  whole  of  the  same 
hemisphere,  particularly  in  the  cold  and  temperate  climates.  They 
are  closely  allied  to  the  Gulls,  into  which  they  appear  to  pass  by  in- 
sensible gradations  of  structure. 

t  In  this  sectioHf  the  whole  are  clothed  in  white,  with  the  back,  wings 
and  tail,  pearl-grey. 


'    \ 


.A" 


.;-w  .    CAYENNE  TERN. 

(Sterna  eayana,  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  804.  sp.  2.  Bonap.  Synops.  No. 
284.  S.  caspia,  var.  Sparmann,  Mus.  Carlsb.  No.  62.  La  grands 
Hirondclle'dc-mer  de  Cayenne.  PI.  Enlum.  988.  [winter  livery].) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  long  and  rather  stout,  orange;  quill  shaits 
white  ;  tail  moderately  forked ;  tarsus  l^  inches  long,  black ;  webs 
entire.  —  Summer  plumage,  with  the  whole  crown  black.  Winter 
dreis,  with  the  hind  head  only  marked  with  black. 

Op  this  species,  very  similar  to  others,  little  more  is  knowit 
than  that  it  is  an  exclusive  inhabitant  of  America,  though 
reported  to  have  been  sometimes  seen  also  in  Europe.  It 
inhabits  the  coasts  of  the  tropical  seas,  and  is  frequent  in 
Cayenne  and  other  warmer  parts  of  the  continent,  as  well 
as  common  along  the  coasts  of  the  Southern  States  of  the 
Union. 

The  length  of  this  species  is  about  16  inches.    The  hind  part  of    ^ 
the  head  black,  in  winter.    Th  •  upper  plumage  grey,  the  feathers 
(probably  in  young  birds,)  margined  with  pale  rufous ;  under  part 
of  the  body  white. 


MARSH  TERN. 


269 


MARSH  TERN. 

(Sterna  anglica,  Montaoc,  Orn.  Diet.  Suppl.  with  a  figure.  Tkmm. 
Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  744.  Sterna  aranea,  Wilson,  viii.  p.  143.  pi.  72. 
fig.  6.    BoNAP.  Synops.  No.  285.    Phil.  Museum,  No.  8521.) 

Sp.  Cfiaract.  —  Bill  very  short,  stout,  and  black  ;  quill  shaAs  white  ; 
tail  slightly  forked  ;  tarsus  black,  1^  inches  long,  and  about  equal 
in  length  with  the  middle  toe;  webs  deeply  sinuated;  hind  nail 
straight.  —  Summer  plumage  ;  with  the  crown  deep  black.  Winter 
dress,  the  crown  white ;  and  with  a  black  spot  on  each  side  of  the 
eye. 

This  bird,  rare  in  England,  notwithstanding  its  scientific 
name,  is  very  common  in  Eastern  Europe,  particularly  in 
Hungary,  and  on  the  confines  of  Turkey.  In  the  new  con- 
tinent, it  inhabits  the  whole  coast  of  the  Atlantic,  from  New- 
England  to  Brazil.  In  Europe  it  affects  the  covert  of  rushy 
marshes,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  great  hikes,  and  rarely  ever 
visits  the  sea-coast  or  the  ocean.  They  have  also  been 
seen  inland,  in  Missouri,  by  Mr.  Say,  and  probably  penetrate 
still  farther  into  the  interior  to  the  coasts  of  the  great 
lakes  of  the  North  American  continent.  Wilson  first  ob- 
served the  species  on  the  shores  of  Cape  May,  in  New-Jer- 
sey, where  parties  were  engaged,  darting  down  like  Swal- 
lows over  the  salt  marshes,  in  quest  of  some  aquatic  in- 
sects or  spiders  which  occur  upon  the  surface  of  the  water. 
The  food  of  the  species,  while  here,  appears  wholly  com- 
posed of  insects  ;  in  Europe  also  their  fare  is  similar,  and 
they  feed  upon  lepidopterous  insects  or  moths  as  well  as 
other  kinds,  showing,  indeed  by  this  peculiarity  of  appetite, 
their  independence  on  the  produce  of  the  ocean,  and  their 
indifference  to  salt  water,  as  preferred  to  fresh. 

The  Marsh  Terns,  keep  apart  by  themselves,  and  breed 
in  company  on  the  borders  of  the  salt  marshes,  among  the 
23* 


\\ 


270 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


drill  <^ras8,  preparing  no  artificial  nest,  laying  3  or  4  ees,ti 
of  a  fi^reenish-olivc,  spotted  with  brown.  The  voice  of  lis 
species  is  sharper  and  stronger  than  that  of  the  Common 
Tern. 

The  length  of  the  Marsh  Tern  ia  about  ]  4  inches ;  and  34  in  alar 
iitretch.  Plumagt  of  spring  and  the  nuptial  srasim;  with  the  whole 
upper  part  of  the  head  and  nape  block;  the  i>  st  of  the  body  ashy- 
white,  except  thu  points  of  the  quills  which  ar  a  little  darker.  Line 
from  tho  nostril  under  the  eye,  and  all  the  lower  parts,  white.  The 
wings  c  \  end  upwards  of  2  inches  beyond  the  toil.  Legs  and  feet 
black.  The  young  of  the  year  have  a  few  longitudinal  spots  on  the 
top  of  the  hca.A,  'ints  of  brown,  ash  and  pale  yellowish  are  also 
mingled  with  the  bluish-ash  of  the  back  and  wings :  the  tail  is  also 
but  little  forked,  cinereous,  with  the  points  of  the  feathers  white. 
Quills  uHliy -brown .  All  the  parts  below  whit«.  The  base  of  the  bill 
yellowish,  the  remainder  towards  the  point  blackish-brown.  Feet 
brown. 


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THE  GREAT,  or  COMMON  TERN. 

(Sterna  hirundo,  Lin.  Lath.  sp.  15.  Temm.  ii.  p.  740.  Bonap.  Syn. 
No.  286.  Wilson,  vii.  p.  70.  pi.  GO.  fig.  1.  Richard.  North.  Zool.  u. 
p.  412?  Great  Tern,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  448.  L' Hironddl*- 
de-mer  Pierre  garin,  Buff.  Ois.  vii.  p.  331.  t.  27.  PI.  Enlum.  987. 
Bewick,  ii.  181.     Phil.  Museum,  No.  3485.) 

8p.  Charact.  —  Bill  of  moderate  dimensions,  rather  robust,  red 
tipt  with  black ;  crown  black ;  quill  shafls  white  ;  outer  vane  of 
the  1st  primary  bluish-white ;  tail  deeply  forked ;  tarsus  red,  near- 
ly 1  inch  long ;  webs  of  the  feet  entire.  —  Mult  both  in  summer 
and  winter  with  the  crown  black.  Young,  soiled  white,  varied 
with  grey,  brown  and  pale  rufous,  and  with  the  nape  only  mark- 
ed with  black. 

The  common  Tern  is  an  inhabitant  of  both  continents, 
being  met  with  on  the  coasts  of  most  parts  of  Europe  as  far 
north  as  the  ever  inclement  shores  of  Greenland  and  Spits- 
bergen ;  it  is  also  found  on  the  arctic  coasts  of  Siberia  and 
Kamtschatka.  In  the  winter  it  migrates  to  the  Mediter- 
ranean, Madeira,  and  i>\e  Canary  Islands.     In  America,  it 


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273 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


breeds  along  all  the  coasts  of  the  Northern  and  Middle 
States,  and  penetrates  north  into  the  fur  countries,  up  to  the 
67th  parallel  of  latitude.  They  also  breed  on  the  sand-bars 
of  the  great  western  lakes,  being  frequent  in  those  of  Erie, . 
Huron,  and  Superior.  In  short,  no  bird  is  more  common 
along  the  sea  coasts,  and  lakes,  of  the  whole  northern  hemi" 
sphere,  within  the  limits  of  cool  or  moderate  temperature. 

The  Great  Tern  arrives  on  the  coast  of  New  Jersey  about 
the  middle  of  April,  and  soon  afler  they  are  seen  on  the 
shores  of  New  England,  where  they  are  known  by  the  name 
of  the  Mackarel  Gull,  appearing,  with  the  approach  of  that 
fish,  towards  the  places  of  their  summer  residence.  In  New 
York  it  is  dignified,  for  the  same  reason,  with  the  appella- 
tion of  the  Sheep's-Head  Gull,  prognosticating  also,  the  arri- 
val of  that  dainty  fish  in  the  waters  of  the  state.  About 
the  middle  of  May,  still  gregarious  as  they  arrive,  they  com- 
mence with  the  cares  of  reproduction.  Artless  in  contri- 
vance, the  Terns  remedy  the  defect  of  a  nest,  by  selecting 
for  their  eyries,  insulated  sand-bars,  wide  beaches,  but  most 
commonly  desolate,  bare,  and  small  rocky  islets,  difficult  of 
access,  and  rarely  visited  by  any  thing  but  themselves  and 
birds  of  similar  habits.  A  small  hollow  scratch  on  the  surface 
of  the  shelving  rock,  with  the  aid  of  a  little  sand  or  gravel, 
merely  sufficient  to  prevent  the  eggs  from  rolling  off,  are  all 
the  preparations  employed  by  these  social  and  slovenly  birds. 
The  eggs,  about  3  or  4,  are  left  exposed  purposely  to  the 
warming  influence  of  the  sun,  the  parent  sitting  on  them 
only  in  the  night,  or  during  the  existence  of  wet  and  stormy 
weather :  they  are  about  1-J  inches  long,  by  1^  in  width ; 
of  a  dull  yellowish  or  pale  whitish-olive,  with  dark  brown 
blotches  and  spots,  and  others  of  a  pale  hue  beneath  the 
surface,  the  whole  often  disposed  in  a  sort  of  irregular  ring 
towards  the  obtuse  end ;  other  eggs  again,  (as  if  of  a  dif- 
ferent species  of  bird,)  are  spotted  almost  equally  all  over. 


THE  GREAT,  OR  COMMON   TERN. 


273 


From  the  variety  in  the  appearance  of  the  eggs,  it  is 
pretty  obvious  that  the  females  indifferently  and  frequently 
lay  in  each  other's  nests,  in  the  manner  of  our  common 
fowls  in  a  state  of  domestication.  Though  to  all  appearance 
thus  abandoned  to  accident,  the  nests  are  constantly  under 
the  surveillance  of  the  Terns,  and  the  appearance  of  an  in- 
truding visiter  on  the  solitary  spot  chosen  for  their  breeding 
retreat,  fills  the  whole  neighboring  troop  with  dismay  and 
alarm ;  and  in  defence  of  their  your  g  they  are  very  bold, 
clamorous  and  resentful,  sweeping  round  and  darting  down 
so  close  to  the  visiter  as  sometimes  to  touch  his  hat ;  making 
at  the  same  time  a  hoarse  and  creaking  sound,  and  occa- 
sionally uttering  a  plaintive  long  drawn  'ptec'way,  and 
when  much  irritated  and  distressed  by  the  fall  of  their  com- 
panions or  their  brood  by  the  gun,  we  hear  a  jarring  A:**c, 
T^lcy  k'k,  as  well  as  a  piping  plaint,  and  at  times  they  utter  a 
bark  almost  like  so  many  puppies.  On  a  rocky  islet  near 
Nahant,  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  known  by  the  name  of 
the  Egg  Rock,  30  or  40  pairs  annually  breed,  and  among 
these,  others  are  also  distinguished  by  the  name  of'pee-boo's 
from  the  sound  of  their  usual  note. 

The  young  are  often  hatched  at  intervals  of  a  day  or  two 
from  each  other,  and  are  carefully  fed  and  watched  for  sev- 
eral weeks  before  they  are  in  a  condition  to  fly.  At  first 
they  are  fed  on  small  fish  and  insects,  such  as  grasshoppers 
and  beetles,  the  hard  and  indigestible  parts  of  which  food 
appearing  to  be  rejected  by  the  bill  in  the  manner  of  rapa- 
cious birds.  The  young  are  afterwards  fed  without  alight- 
ing, as  they  skim  over  the  spot ;  and  then  they  merely  drop 
the  fish  among  the  brood,  when  the  strongest  and  most  ac- 
tive are  consequently  'he  best  served.  The  young  at  length 
launch  out  into  the  marshes  for  themselves  in  quest  of  in- 
sects ;  while  thus  engaged,  at  the  warning  voice  of  their  pa- 
rents, or  the  approach  of  an  enemy,  they  instantly  squat 


2t4 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


. 


down,  and  remain  motionless  until  the  danger  be  over.  Ab 
soon  as  the  young  are  able  to  fly,  they  are  led  by  the  old  to 
the  sand  shoals  and  ripples  where  fish  are  abundant,  and 
occasionally  feeding  them,  they  learn  by  example  to  pro- 
vide for  themselves. 

-  While  flying,  the  Tern  exhibits  uncommon  watchfulness ; 
beating  the  air  with  a  steady  wing,  and  following  the 
track  of  the  vessel,  with  an  easy  flight,  the  quick  eye  and 
moving  head  may  be  observed  minutely  scanning  the  haunts 
and  motions  of  their  finny  prey.  At  the  approach  of  win- 
ter they  retire  south  of  the  limits  of  the  Union. 

The  Great  Tern  ia  about  15  inches  long ;  and  30  in  alar  extent. 
Advlt  plumage  ;  the  bill  reddish^yellow,  sometimes  crimson,  tipt  with 
black.  Whole  upper  part  of  the  head  black,  extending  to  a  point  on 
the  nape,  and  including  the  eyes.  Sides  of  the  neck  an  J  whole  low- 
er parts,  white.  Quills  hoary-grey,  as  if  bleached  by  the  weather,  long 
and  pointed,  a  longitudinal  stripe  of  white  on  the  inner  edge  of  each, 
not  extending  to  the  tips.  Back,  scapulars  and  wing  coverts,  bluish- 
white,  or  pale  lead  color.  Rump  and  tail  coverts  white.  Tail  white, 
long  and  greatly  forked,  the  exterior  feathers  being  3  inches  long- 
er than  the  adjoining  ones,  the  rest  gradually  shorter  for  an  inch  and 
a  half  to  the  middle  ones ;  the  outer  web  of  the  exterior  feather 
greyish-black.  Legsand  feet  miniate:  the  webs  deeply  scalloped.  —  In 
ihs female  the  3  outer  feathers  of  the  tail  are  shorter  than  in  the  male. 

Note.  This  bird,  agreeing  with  the  European  species,  appears 
distinct  from  that  of  Richardson  ;  in  which  the  tail  and  its  coverts  are 
pearl-grey,  the  outer  feather  white  exteriorly,  and  the  tarsus  2  lines 
longer.  If  this  should  prove  to  be  a  distinct  species,  which  is  more 
than  probable,  we  would  distinguish  it  by  the  name  of  Sterna  For- 
STERi,  from  the  eminent  naturalist  and  voyager  who  first  suggested 
these  distinctions. 


m 


if 


\^ 


'-''■  '     '''■  %Q^'^i'^ 


\ 


ARCTIC  TERN. 


375 


irer.  Ab 
he  old  to 
iant,  and 
le  topro- 

hfulness ; 
wing  the 
k  eye  and 
he  haunts 
;h  of  win- 


jlar  extent, 
m,  tipt  with 
o  a  point  on 
i  whole  low- 
ireather,long 
idge  of  each, 
irerts,  bluish- 
Tail  white, 
jincheB  long- 
an  inch  and 
erior  feather 
illoped.  —  In 
in  the  male. 

icies,  appears 
its  coverts  are 
araus  2  Kne» 
lich  is  more 
Jtekna  Fob^ 
Bt  suggeBted 


ARCTIC  TERN. 

(Jkema  arcHea,  Temm.  Man.  d'Om.  ii.  p.  742.  Bovap.  Synops.  No. 
287.  Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  414.  Sterna  argeiUata,  Brehm. 
8.  macroura,  Nauman.) 

8p.  Charact.  —  Bill  moderate,  Blender,  red  to  the  tip;  crown  black; 
quill  shafts  white  ;  outer  vane  of  the  first  primary  black  ;  tail  great- 
ly forked ;  tarsus  |  of  an  inch.  — MuU  both  in  summer  and  winter 
with  the  crown  black.     Young,  as  in  the  preceding. 

The  Arctic  Tern  appears  to  supersede  the  common 
species  in  the  hyperboreal  regions  of  the  northern  hemien 
phere,  being  common  around  Baffin's  Bay  and  Davis's 
Straits.  The  species  also  breeds  abundantly  in  the  remote 
land  of  Melville  Peninsula,  and  along  most  of  the  shores 
and  islands  of  the  Arctic  Sea,  as  well  as  in  Labrador, 
where  it  was  observed  by  Mr.  Audubon.  It  is  also  com- 
mon in  the  Scottish  isles  of  the  Orkneys,  and  visits  England 
and  Scotland,  proceeding  at  times  as  far  as  the  shores  of  the 
Baltic.  According  to  Richardson,  the  eggs  of  this  species 
are  very  tapering  at  the  small  end,  of  a  light  yellowish-brown 
to  bluish-grey,  marked  with  many  irregular  brown  spots  of 
different  degrees  of  intensity.  They  are  deposited  upon  a 
gravelly  beach  or  upon  the  sand,  and  the  parent  birds  show 
as  much  anxiety  for  their  safety,  and  boldness  in  defending 
them,  as  the  Common  Tern. 

The  Arctic  Tern  is  about  14  inches  long.  In  the  summer  plumage^ 
the  front,  summit  of  the  head  and  the  long  feathers  of  the  nape 
of  a  deep  black ;  all  the  rest  of  the  parts  colored  as  in  the  preceding 
species  The  lower  parts,  throat,  and  fore  part  of  the  neck,  of 
the  same  deep  ash  color  as  the  back.  A  very  small  part  of  the  abdo- 
men, lower  tail  coverts,  and  a  band  beneath  the  eyes,  pure  white. 
Tail  a  little  longer  than  that  of  S.  hirundo.  Tarsus  and  toes  very 
short,  of  a  fine  red.    Bill  lake  red.    Iris-brown. 


\ 


♦•.**«(rrTwir*r.v:_w*..-*«-J^»-« 


276 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


5'' 


SANDWICH  TERN. 

(Sterna  boysii,  Lath.  Ind.  Om.  ii.  p.  806.  sp.  10.  Montagu,  Diet. 
Orn.  p.  449.  S,  cantitica,  Ghel.  sp.  15.  Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii. 
p.  735.  S.  africana,  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  805.  sp.  5.  S.  striata,  Gmel. 
sp.  24.  La¥h.  Ind.  ii.  sp.  11.  Striated  Tern,  Lath.  Synops.  vL 
p.  858.  t.  95.  [young.]  Sandwich  Tern,  Lath.  Syn.  vi.  p.  856. 
Ib.  Suppl.  i.  p.  266.  Bewick's  Brit.  Birds,  ii.  p.  204.  Greater  « 
Sea  Swallow,  Albin.  Birds,  ii.  pi.  88.  [adult  in  summer  dress.] 
Sterna  di  becca  color  nero,  Stor.  degl.  ucc.  v.  pi.  545.  [in  perfect 
v.inter  plumage.] 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  long  and  black,  the  point  yellowish ;  feet  short 
and  black ;  quill  shafts  white ;  tail  long  and  deeply  forked,  but 
shorter  than  the  points  of  the  closed  wings ;  tarsus  rather  more 
than  1  inch  long.  —  Summer  plumage,  with  the  whole  crown  black. 
Winter  dress,  with  the  crown  white,  the  hind  head  only  marked 
with  black.  Young;  above  varied  with  grey,  brown  and  pale 
dull  rufous;  the  hind  head  marked  with  black.  '  '"^"^ 

Few  species  have  a  wider  geographic  range  than  the 
Sandwich  Tern.  It  was  first  observed  in  England,  by  Mr. 
Boys  of  Sandwich,  where  it  is  not  uncommon,  and  was 
afterwards  published  by  Latham.  It  is  readily  confounded 
with  the  Common  Tern,  (Sterna  hirundo,)  but  is  superior 
in  size,  besides  other  differences ;  it  is  rather  rare  on  other 
parts  of  the  English  coast.  It  is  believed  to  breed  on  the 
shores  of  Sandwich,  and  retires  south  in  autumn,  where  it 
is  probably  afterwards  seen  migrating  to  the  coast  of  Africa 
to  pass  the  winter,  and  the  young  birds  have  been  brought 
from  the  distant  shores  of  New  Zealand.  According  to  Tern- 
minck  it  is  very  abundant  in  the  isles  of  North  Holland,  and 
chiefly  frequents  the  sea  coast,  though  sometimes  it  has 
been  known  to  wander  into  the  interior  and  visit  fresh 
waters.  In  the  Leverian  Museum,  there  existed,  some 
years  ago,  a  specimen  of  the  young  bird  from  South  Amer- 
ica, but  it  was  left  for  our  indefatigable  friend,  Audubon, 
to  discover  this  interesting  cosmopolite  within  the  boundary 


S.f 


SANDWICH   TERN. 


277 


Aoc,  Diet. 
I.  d'Orn.  ii. 
lata,  Gmei.. 
SynopB.  ▼!• 

vi.  p.  856.     . 
4.    Greater  , 
uner  dress.] 

[in  perfect 

i;  feet  short 
forked,  but 
I  rather  more 
crown  black, 
only  marked 
wn  and  pale 

re  than  the 
Lod,  by  Mr. 
n,  and  was 
confounded 
is  superior 
ire  on  other 
eed  on  the 
in,  where  it 
Lst  of  Africa 
^een  brought 
ingtoTem- 
oUand,  and 
imes  it  has 
visit  fresh 
isted,  some 
louth  Amer- 
Audubon, 
Ihe  boundary 


of  the  United  States.  In  1832,  he,  with  his  party,  obtained 
a  considerable  number  of  specimens  in  summer  plumage, 
during  the  month  of  May,  in  East  Florida,  and  they  were 
particularly  abundant  in  the  vicinity  of  Indian  Key,  about 
30  miles  from  Cape  Sable.  In  this  place,  in  the  usual 
manner  of  the  genus,  they  breed  together  in  large  com- 
panies. 

According  to  Temminck,  they  deposit  their  eggs  on  the 
sea  beach,  in  the  low  meadows  which  are  submerged  in 
winter ;  and  often  also,  according  to  the  convenience  of 
the  locality,  upon  the  shelves  of  naked  rocks.  The  eggs, 
2  or  3,  are  white  or  whitish,  sprinkled  with  large  and  small 
blackish  spots,  or  marbled  with  brown  and  black.  Like 
most  of  the  species,  they  feed  on  living  fish,  and  it  has  all  the 
manners  and  habits  of  the  Common  Tern.       ;;  a  ^     .ra^i^a^, 

The  Sandwich  Tern  is  near  upon  18  inches  in  length.  In  the 
teinter  plumage,  the  front  and  summit  of  the  head  are  white ;  but 
barred  towards  the  hind  head,  with  very  small  black  spots ;  the  long 
feathers  of  the  occiput  black,  but  fringed  with  white ;  a  black 
crescent  in  advance  of  the  eyes.  Nape,  top  of  the  back,  all  the 
lower  parts,  and  the  tail  brilliant  white.  Back,  scapulars  and  wing 
coverts  very  pale  bluish-ash.  Quills  velvety  ash,  all  of  them  bor- 
dered by  a  large  band  of  white.  Bill  deep  black,  ochre-yellow  at 
the  point.     Iris  blackish.     Feet  black,  beneath  ochre-yellow.        t-v^; 

The  spring  and  nuptial  plumage  ;  with  the  front,  summit  of  the 
head,  and  long  feathers  of  tlie  occiput,  deep  black,  without  any 
spots.  Fore  part  of  the  neck  and  breast,  rose  white,  more  or  less 
lively  and  brilliant,  according  to  age  and  the  epoch  of  the  moult : 
the  rest  as  in  the  winter  plumage.  '     v .     ^  ;«  -v 

In  the  young  of  the  year,  the  white  and  black  colors  of  the  head 
and  nape  are  blended  with  very  pale  rufous  tints.  All  the  parts  be- 
low white.  Upper  part  of  the  back  and  scapulars  whitish  rufous, 
transversely  lined  with  blackish-brown  bands.  The  larger  scapulars 
widely  bordered  with  brown ;  wing  coverts  tipped  with  semicircular 
bands.  Secondaries  and  primaries  blackish-ash,  edged  and  tipped 
with  white.  Bill  livid  black,  slenderly  tipped  with  yellowish.  Tail 
feathers  cinereous  at  the  base,  blackish  beyond,  and  terminated  with 
white. 

24 


J  ■ 


Ji7« 


M 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


■i.i}^ 


ROSEATE  TERN. 


(Sterna  Dougalli,  MoNTxar,  Diet.  Orn.  Suppl.  Diet.  p.  482.  [ed. 
alt.]  Temh.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  7S8.  Roseate  Tern,  Flemmino'i 
Brit.  Anim.  p.  143.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  long  and  slender,  black,  orange  at  the  base  ; 
crown  black ;  quill  shafls  white  ;  outer  vane  of  the  1st  primary 
black ;  tail  deeply  forked,  much  longer  than  the  folded  wings ; 
tarsus  orange,  |  of  an  inch  long.  —  Jldult  both  in  summer  and 
winter,  with  the  crown  black  ?  Youjig,  white  beneath ;  the  bill 
black,  and  the  feet  yellowish. 

The  Roseate  Tern,  so  frequently  associated  with  and 
confounded  in  the  character  of  the  Common  Tern,  is 
another  species  common  to  the  colder  and  temperate  parts 
of  both  continents  ;  being  frequent  upon  the  coasts  of  Scot- 
land and  England,  particularly  the  former  ;  it  is  also  found 
in  Norway,  and  probably  also  upon  the  borders  of  the  Bal- 
tic ;  visiting  the  northern  coasts  of  the  ocean,  in  small  num- 
bers, associated  with  flocks  of  the  Great  Tern.  The  par- 
ticular place»  of  resort  for  the  present  species,  according  to 
Dr.  M'Dougal,  are  two  small,  flat  and  rocky  islands,  in  the 
Firth  of  Clyde,  called  Cumbrae  islands,  chiefly  about  Mil- 
ford  Bay.  On  these  islands  the  Common  Tern  swarms  to 
such  a  degree  that  it  was  scarcely  possible  to  step  without 
treading  upon  the  young  birds  or  eggs.  The  new  species, 
here  described,  was  shot  by  accident,  without  distinguish- 
ing it  until  it  lay  dead  upon  the  ground,  when  the  Doctor's 
attention  was  attracted  by  the  beautiful  pale  roseate  hue  of 
the  breast.  There  did  not  here  appear  to  be  more  than 
about  one  in  two  hundred  of  the  present  with  the  Common 
Tern,  but  they  were  at  length  easily  singled  out  by  the  com- 
parative shortness  of  their  wings,  whiteness  of  their  plumiige, 
and  by  the  elegance  and  slowness  of  their  aerial  motion, 


ROSEATE   TERN. 


279 


often  sweeping  along  or  resting  in  the  air,  almost  immovea- 
Ue,  like  the  soaring  of  a  hawk ;  and  they  were  also  distin- 
guishable by  the  comparative  inferiority  of  their  size. 

M.  de  Lamotte  has  had  the  satisfaction  to  find  two  pairs 
of  these  birds  nesting  on  the  coasts  of  Picardy  in  company, 
and  associated  in  the  same  places  with  the  8.  hirundo. 
In  the  United  States  they  are  also  sparingly  seen  with 
the  common  species,  as  I  have  obtained  an  individual  on 
the  coast  at  Chelsea  Beach,  in  this  vicinity,  and  they  may 
probably  sometimes  breed  on  the  neighboring  isle  of  the 
Egg  Rock,  or  in  similar  places  in  the  temperate  parts  of 
the  Union.  It  is  not  mentioned  by  Richardson  as  an 
inhabitant  of  the  northern  parts  of  the  continent,  where 
however,  the  Common  and  Arctic  Terns  abound.  Defying 
almost  all  exact  geographic  limits,  we  find,  according  to  the 
observations  of  Mr.  Audubon,  that  they  even  abound  on  the 
shores  of  the  Tortugas,  at  the  extremity  of  East  Florida, 
where  he  likewise  saw  their  nests  and  eggs. 

The  length  of  the  Roseate  Tern  is  about  15^  inches.  Bill  black, 
long  and  slender,  orange  at  the  base,  length  about  1^  inches.  Feet 
and  legs  orange,  nails  black.  Summer  plumage  of  the  adults  ;  with 
the  summit  of  the  head  and  nape  of  a  deep  glossy  bluish-black,  much 
more  intense  than  in  S.  hirundo.  Back,  scapulars  and  wings  of  a  pale 
ash  color.  Sides  of  the  neck,  all  the  lower  parts  and  tail,  of  a  pure 
white  ;  the  breast  with  a  faint  rosaceous  tint.  Lateral  tail  feathers 
long  and  subulate,  extending  2  inches  or  more  beyond  the  closed 
wings.  Outer  barb  of  the  1st  quill  black ;  the  others  ash,  bordered 
on  their  inner  webs  with  a  white  band.  a  s-  .^s  3   ,' 

Note.  Mr.  Audubon,  by  letter,  has  also  favored  me  with  the  fol- 
lowing notice  of  what  he  considers  to  be  a  new  species  of  Tern, 
"  Sterna  JVuttalii  was  procured  there  also  (the  Tortugas.)  It  is  inter- 
mediate in  size  with  the  Sandwich  Tern  and  the  Roseate  species ; 
but  its  wings  are,  in  proportion,  much  longer,  and  the  tail  shorter 
than  either.  The  bjll  is  pure  black,  and  almost  as  large  as  that  of 
Sterna  anglica,'* 


mm 


380 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


SILVERY  TERN. 


-♦»a 


(Sterna  argentea,  Prince  Maxim.  «le  Nkuwikd,  Voyage,  vol.  i.  p.  67. 
Tkmm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  754.  [in  a  note]  Sterna  minuta,  Wil- 
son, (lu'c  Lin.)  vii.  p.  80.  pi.  (iO.  fig.  2.  Bunap.  Synops.  No.  S88. 
Phil.  Museum,  No.  8505.) 

Br.  CiiAiiACT.  —  Bill  moderate,  sulphur  yellow  and  black  at  tip; 
crown  black;  front  white  ;  the  2  firHt  quills  and  their  shails  black, 
except  a  broad  white  stripe  on  their  inner  webs ;  tail  moderately 
forked,  of  the  same  color  with  the  back ;  tarsus  y>;llow,  about  half 
an  inch  long ;  webs  of  the  toes  entire ;  nails  long  and  acute. 
Length  DJ  inches.  —  Young  appearing  soiled  and  spotted,  and 
with  the  black  of  the  head  obsolete. 

The  Silvery  Tern,  apparently  of  Temminck,  and  the 
Lesser  Tern  of  Wilson,  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  American 
continent,  and  was  first  detected  as  distinct  from  the  Euro- 
pean species,  by  Prince  de  Neuwied,  in  Brazil.  In  the 
United  States  it  arrives  from  its  hybernal  retreat  later  than 
the  Common  Tern,  and  is  not  met  with  so  far  to  the  north, 
being  unknown  in  the  Canadian  fur  countries.  They  are, 
however,  common  in  the  Middle  and  New  England  States, 
being  frequently  seen  coasting  along  the  shores,  or  over 
pools  and  salt  marshes,  in  quest  of  the  insects  and  small 
shrimps,  which  constitute  their  favorite  fare;  they  also 
occasionally  dart  down  upon  small  fish  and  fry,  hovering, 
suspended  in  the  air,  for  a  moment  over  their  prey,  like  so 
many  small  hawks,  and  with  equal  promptness  dashing 
headlong  into  the  water  after  it,  seizing  it  with  the  bill,  as 
the  feet  are  incapable  of  prehension.  It  sometimes  makes 
extensive  incursions  along  the  river  courses,  and  has  been 
shot  several  hundred  miles  from  the  sea,  its  principal  place 
of  residence. 

In  the  latter  end  of  May  or  beginning  of  June,  the  fe- 
male commences  laying,  the  eggs,  3  or  4  in  number,  are 


i  >' 


■tLVBRY   TERN. 


381 


merely  deposited  in  a  slight  scratch  in  the  sand,  and  left  to 
hatch  in  the  heat  of  the  sun ;  the  bird,  as  usual,  sitting  on 
them  only  during  the  night,  and  in  wet  and  stormy  weather ; 
they  are  nearly  white,  or  yellowish-white,  blotched  almost  all 
over  with  umber-brown  spots,  sometimes  appearing  shaded 
with  others  of  a  subdued  tint  beneath  the  surface.  They 
are  about  1|  inches  by  ^  of  an  inch  in  breadth.  On  ap- 
proaching their  breeding  places,  the  old  birds  assemble  in 
crowds  around  the  intruder,  and  after  a  good  deal  of  vocif' 
eration,  flying  round  in  wide  circuits,  they  often  approach 
within  a  few  yards  of  one's  head,  squeaking  almost  like  so 
many  young  pigs,  and  appear  to  be  very  irritable  and  re- 
sentful. At  other  times,  when  not  excited  or  alarmed,  they 
are  tame  and  unsuspicious,  particularly  the  young  birds; 
often  heedlessly  passing  the  spectator  within  a  few  yardrf, 
while  tracing  the  windings  of  the  shore  in  quest  of  their 
prey. 

« 

The  Silvery  Tern  is  about  0^  to  10  inches  long.  (The  European 
species,  or  Lesser  Tern,  8  to  8jk  inches  only)  and  20  in  alar  extent. 
Bill  pale  yellow.  Front,  and  short  line  scarcely  extending  over  the 
eye,  white.  Crown,  band  through  the  eye  proceeding  to  the  base 
of  the  nostrils  and  hind  head,  black,  this  color  descending  to  a 
point  on  the  nape.  Cheeks,  or  all  the  space  beneath  the  eye, 
sides  of  the  neck  and  whole  lower  parts  bright  glossy  white.  Neck 
above,  upper  part  of  the  back,  rump,  tail  coverts,  and  wings,  pale 
ash,  or  pearl  grey.  The  2  first  primaries  and  their  shafls  black, 
their  inner  edges  with  a  broad  white  space.  Tail  pale  ash,  white 
beneath,  forked,  the  2  outer  feathurs  about  an  inch  and  4  lines  longer 
than  the  inner  ones,  and  tapering  to  a  point.  Legs  and  feet  yellow, 
claws  black,  compressed,  narrow,  long,  acute  and  much  curved. — 
Obs.  The  tail,  in  the  European  species  is  pure  white.  The  bill  and 
legs  orange,  and  its  upper  parts  are  darker ;  it  is  also  a  smaller  bird. 
—  By  some  inadvertence  Wilson  describes  the  bill  and  legs  as  bright 
reddish-yellow ;  we  have  never  seen  any  specimens  so  colored,  and 
his  own  figure  is  tinted  in  those  parts  pale  yellow  as  in  nature  with 
us.    That  our  bird  is  that  of  Brazil  we  have  no  further  evidence 

24* 


363 


»\ 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


khan  the  slight  notice  in  Temminok ;  but  we  prefer  thie  haiwd  to  \\ 
that  of  multiplying  tpeciei. 

1 1  In  thit  atetian  tk»  whole  bird,  when  adtiU,  in  summer,  tf  tither 

black  or  dusky. 


BLACK  TERN,  or  STERN. 

('•Sterna  nigra,  Lin.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  810.  sp.  24.  Timm.  Man. 
d'Orn.  ii.  p.  749.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  289.  Richabd.  North. 
Zool.  ii.  p.  415.  S.  Jusipes,  Omel.  sp.  7.  S.  obtcura,  Is.  Lath. 
Ind.  ap.  85.  Short-Tailed  Tern,  (S.  plumbea.)  Wilson,  vii.  p.  88. 
pi.  60.  fig.  3.  [young.]  Black  Tern,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  525.  No. 
450.  Brown  Tern,  Lath.  Syn.  Ouifette  noire,  ou  EpouvontaU, 
Buff.  Oia.  viii.  p.  341.  PI.  Enlum.  333.  [adult.]  Phil.  Muaeum, 
No.  3519.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  slender  and  black;  tail  alightly  forked;  feet 
blackiah-brown ;  tarsus  from  7  to  8  lines ;  webs  of  the  toes  deeply 
Hinuated.  —  iSummer/>^uma^e,  wholly  blackish-ash.  Winter  drest 
lead  color,  with  the  head  and  neck  deep  black  ;  front,  throat,  and 
vent  white.  Young  white ;  nape  blackish  ;  back,  wings,  and  tail, 
brownish,  skirted  with  dilute,  or  soiled  rufous-white. 

This  is  another  aquatic  bird  common  to  the  northern 
regions  of  both  continents,  extending  its  residence  to  the 
limits  of  the  Arctic  circle  ;  breeding  in  the  fur  countries  of 
the  interior  upon  the  borders  of  lakes  and  in  swamps.  It  is 
also  very  common  in  Holland  and  in  the  great  marshes  of 
Hungary,  and  has  been  observed  round  the  salt  lakes  of 
Siberia  and  Tartary.  In  Europe  it  is  met  with  as  far  as 
Iceland.  In  all  situations  it  appears  to  prefer  the  borders 
of  rivers,  lakes,  or  marshes,  to  the  vicinity  of  the  sea,  ex^ 
cept  when  engaged  in  its  migrations. 

The  Stern  is  a  common  summer  inhabitant  of  England, 
appearing,  according  to  Montagu,  in  Romney  Marsh,  in 
Kent,  about  the  latter  end  of  April,  breeding  on  the  sedgy 
borders  of  pools,  and  though  very  near  to  the  sea,  they  are 


BLACK   TESN,   OB   STIRN. 


288 


raroly  seen  on  the  shores  till  aAer  the  breeding  season,  and 
tre  then  uncommon.  It  lays  3  or  4  light  olive-brown  eggs, 
blotched  and  spotted  with  brown  and  black,  the  spots  some- 
times crowded  almost  into  a  circle  about  the  middle  of  the 
egg.  They  breed  likewise  in  the  fens  of  Lincolnshire  ; 
making  a  nest  of  flags  or  broad  grass  upon  a  tuft  just 
elevated  above  the  tiurfnce  of  the  water. 

The  young  of  this  species  are  rather  common  on  the 
coasts  of  New  Jersey  during  autumn,  on  their  way  still 
farther  south  to  pass  the  winter.  Wilson  observed  a  flock 
of  these  driven  inland  as  far  as  the  meadows  of  the  Schuyl- 
kill, by  a  violent  storm  from  the  north-east.  Hundreds  of 
them  were  to  be  seen  at  the  same  time,  accompanied  by 
flocks  of  the  Yellow-Legs,  and  a  few  Purres  (  Tringa  alpi- 
na.)  Famished  by  the  accident  which  had  impelled  them 
from  their  usual  abodes,  they  were  now  busy,  silent  and 
unsuspicious,  darting  down  after  their  prey  of  beetles, 
grasshoppers  and  other  insects,  now  afloat  by  the  inundation, 
without  hesitating,  though  perpetually  harassed  by  gunners, 
who  had  assembled  to  view  the  extraordinary  spectacle  of 
these  rare  flocks  of  wandering  birds.  In  ordinary,  as  in 
Europe,  they  frequent  mill-ponds  and  fresh-water  marshes, 
in  preference  to  the  bays  and  the  sea  coast.      ,^- 

The  Stern  measures  about  10  or  11  inches  in  length.  Bill  black, 
measured  from  above.  1  inch  3  lines.  Winter  plumage  of  the  adults: 
Head  and  hind  part  of  the  neck  black.  Front,  space  between  the 
bill  and  eyes,  throat,  and  fore  part  of  the  neck  to  the  breast,  pore 
white.  Breast,  vent,  and  abdomen  blackish-ash.  All  the  upper 
parts,  rump,  and  tail  feathers  bluish-ash,  or  lead  color.  Lower  tail 
coverts  white ;  the  two  first  quills  fringed  with  white  only  at  the 
extremities  of  their  inner  barbs.  Iris  brown.  Feet  and  legs  dark 
brown,  or  purplish-black. 

Spring  and  nuptial  plumagf ;  with  the  front,  space  between  the 
bill  and  eyes,  throat,  and  fore  part  of  the  neck,  which  are  white  iQ 
winter,  are  in  summer  of  a  blackish-ash  color  like  the  other  parts. 


284 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


In  the  young  of  the  year  brfore  the  autumnal  moult,  the  front,  Bp&c6 
between  the  eye  and  bill,  sides  and  fore  part  of  the  neck,  as  well  aa 
all  the  lower  parts  pure  white ;  upon  (he  sides  of  the  breast  there  is 
a  large  patch  of  blackish-ash.  A  crescent  before  the  eyes,  top  of 
the  head,  occiput  and  nape  black.  Back  and  scapulars  brown,  bor- 
de;'ed  and  tipped  with  pale  rufous-white.  Wings,  rump,  and  tail,  ash, 
the  coverts  edged  with  rufous-white.  Bill  brown  at  its  base.  Irii 
brown.  Feet  and  legs  livid  brown.  It  is  then,  the  Sterna  navia, 
Ghel.  sp.  5.  S.  boysii,  var.  A.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  806  sp.  10.  ji.  La 
Guifetie,  Buff.  Ois.  viii.  p.  339.  PI.  Enluin.  924.  Sandwich  Tern, 
var.  ./9.  Lath.  Synops.  vi.  p.  358.  Lesser  Sea-Swallow,  Albin. 
Birds,  ii.  tab.  90.  S.  plumbea,  or  Short-Tailed  Tern,  Wilson,  vii.  p. 
83.  pi.  60.  fig.  3. 


SOOTY  TERN. 

(Sterna  fuUginosa,  Gmel.  Wilson,  viii.  p.  145.  pi.  72.  fig.  7.  Bo- 
KAP.  Syn.  No.  290.  L'Hirondelle  de-mer  A  grande  enverguerf 
Buff.  viii.  p.  845.  Sooty  Tern,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  447. 
Lath.  Synops.  iii.  p.  352.    Phil.  Museum,  No.  3459.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  black;  front,  exterior  edge  of  the  outer  tail 
feathers  and  all  beneath  white  ',  tail  deeply  forked ;  webs  of  the 
toes  entire. 

This  species  generally  inhabits  the  tropical  seas ;  being 
widely  dispersed  into  either  hemisphere.  It  is  observed  on  the 
coasts  of  New  Holland,  New  Guinea,  and  as  far  south  nearly 
as  the  49th  parallel.  In  the  8th  degree  of  south  latitude, 
in  the  isle  of  Ascension,  they  breed  in  swarms,  each  laying 
2  or  3  eggs,  of  a  large  size,  yellowish,  spotted  with  brown, 
and  pale  purple.  The  flocks  which  possessed  the  various 
parts  of  the  island,  perpetually  breeding,  in  this  mild  lati- 
tude, were  found  laying  at  different  times.  In, some  places 
the  young  were  hatched  and  grown,  in  others  were  seen 
eggs  newly  laid.  They  uttered  a  sharp  and  shrill  cry,  and 
were  so  fearless  of  the  men  who  visited  the  island,  as  to  fly 


.^ 


\ 


NODDY. 


285 


iront,  splice 
as  well  as 
ist  there  it 
yes,  top  of 
>rown,  bor- 
nd  tail,  ash, 
base.  Iris 
erna  ntniaf 
10.  ji.  La 
wich  Tern, 
)W,  Albin. 
,soN,  vii.  p. 


fig.  7.    Bo- 

envergtUTf 

ii.  No.  447. 


almost  upon  them.  The  species  is  migratory,  however,  even 
in  these  mild  climates.  Along  the  coasts  of  Georgia  and 
Florida,  Wilson  observed  them  in  numerous  flocks  in  the 
month  of  July.  They  were  very  noisy,  darting  down  head- 
long after  small  fish.  This  bird  frequently  settles  on  the 
rigging  of  ships  at  sea,  and,  in  common  with  the  following 
species  is  called  by  sailors  the  Noddy. 

The  length  of  the  Sooty  Tern  is  about  17  inches ;  the  alar  extent 
about  3  feet  6  inches.  Bill  I ^  inches  long,  the  upper  mandible  slightly 
serrated  near  the  point.  Irids  dusky.  Forehead,  as  far  as  the  eyes, 
white.  Whole  lower  parts  and  sides  of  the  neck,  white ;  the  rest  of 
the  plumage  black.  Wings  very  long,  when  closed  extending  nearly 
to  the  extremity  of  tlie  tail,  which  is  deeply  forked  ;  the  2  exterior  fea- 
thers four  inches  longer  than  those  in  the  middle,  the  whole  black, 
except  the  2  outer  feathers  which  are  white,  but  a  little  blackish 
towards  their  extremities  on  the  inner  vanes.     Legs  and  feet  black. 


outer  tail 
webs  of  the 

as;  being 
ved  on  the 
uth  nearly 
latitude, 
ch  laying 
th  brown, 
various 
mild  lati- 
ne  places 
rere  seen 
cry,  and 
,  as  to  fly 


NODDY. 

(Sterna  stolida,  Linn,  et  Lath.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  291.  Hironddle 
de-mer  brune  de  la  Louisiane,  Buff.  PI.  Enlum.  997.  Le  JVoddi, 
Ibid.  viii.  p.  461.  Noddy,  Catesby,  i.  p.  88.  Penn.  Arct.  Zool. 
ii.  No.  446.  Passer  stultus,  Foolish  Sparrow,  Ray.  Synops. 
iu  loc.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  black;  crown  whitish;  tail  rounded;  webs  of 

the  toes  entire. 

This  Common  and  well  known  species  inhabits  all  parts 
of  the  tropical  seas,  and  migrates  occasionally  as  far  as  the 
coasts  of  the  United  States ;  at  which  times  they  are  gen- 
erally seen  in  flocks,  and  are  by  no  means  rare.  Familiar 
to  mariners,  who  navigate  in  the  equatorial  regions,  the 
Noddy,  like  the  voyager^  frequents  the  open  seas  to  the  dis- 
tance of  some  hundreds  of  leagues  from  the  land,  and  with 


:\\ 


286 


WED-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


many  other  birds  of  similar  appetites  and  propensities,  they 
are  seen  in  great  flights  assiduously  following  the  shoals  of 
their  finny  prey.  They  pursue  them  by  flying  near  the 
surface  of  the  water,  and  may  now  be  seen  continually 
dropping  on  the  small  fish,  which  approach  the  surface  to 
shun  the  persecution  of  the  greater  kinds  by  whom  they  are 
also  harassed.  A  rippling  and  silvery  whiteness  in  the 
water  marks  the  course  of  the  timid  and  tumultuous  shoals ; 
and  the  whole  air  resounds  with  the  clangor  of  these  glut- 
tonous and  greedy  birds,  who  exulting  or  contending  for 
success,  fill  the  air  with  their  varied  but  discordant  cries. 
Where  the  strongest  rippling  appears  there  the  thickest 
swarms  of  Noddys  and  sea  fowl  are  uniformly  assembled. 
They  frequently  fly  on  board  of  ships  at  sea,  and  are 
so  stupid  or  indolent  on  such  occasions,  as  to  sufler  them- 
selves to  be  taken  by  the  hand  from  the  yards  on  which 
they  settle  ;  they  sometimes,  however,  when  seized,  bite  and 
scratch  with  great  resolution ;  leading  one  to  imagine, 
that  they  are  disabled  often  from  flight  by  excessive  fatigue 
or  hunger. 

The  Noddys  breed  in  great  numbers  in  the  Bahama 
islands,  laying  their  eggs  on  the  bare  shelvings  of  the  rocks ; 
they  also  breed  on  the  Roca  Islands  and  various  parts  of 
the  coast  of  Brazil  and  Cayenne.  According  to  the  ac- 
counts of  voyagers  they  lay  vast  numbers  of  eggs  on  cer- 
tain rocky  isles  contiguous  to  St.  Helena,  and  the  eggs  are 
there  accounted  a  delicate  food.  Some  have  imagined  that 
the  appearance  of  the  Noddy  at  sea  indicates  the  proximity 
of  land,  but  in  the  manner  of  the  Common  Tern,  they 
adventure  out  to  sea,  and  like  the  mariner  himself,  the 
shelter  of  whose  friendly  vessel  they  seek,  they  often  voyage 
at  random,  for  several  days  at  a  time,  committing  them- 
selves to  the  mercy  of  the  boundless  ocean ;  and  having  at 
certain  seasons  no  predilection  for  places,  where  the  cli- 


\- 


GULLS. 


987 


mate  suits,  the  roving  f.c      .  or  stragglers,  find  equally  a 
home  on  every  coast,  shoai  jt  island. 

The  Noddy,  (so  termed  from  its  apparent  stupidity)  is  about  15 
inches  in  length.  The  bill  about  2  inches  long,  slender  and  black. 
The  whole  plumage  is  of  a  sooty  brown,  except  the  top  of  the  head 
which  is  white,  fading  gradually  into  cinereous  on  the  nape.  The 
quills  and  tail  are  darker  than  the  rest  of  the  plumage ;  and  the 
legs  black.  :^'   -=:,'''^\.  r-:  ^■^^"  v;.  ;.-'^  w^,,.,  •'■  .,  ■        ,',n(f: 


GULLS.     (Larus.  Linn.) 

In  these  birds  the  bill  is  of  moderate  dimensions,  stout,  hard, 
straight,  compressed,  naked  at  base,  with  the  edges  sharp  and  bent 
inward  ;  the  upper  mandible  rounded  above,  rather  sharp,  and  curved 
at  the  point ;  the  lower  somewhat  shorter,  gibbous  and  angular  be- 
neath the  point,  blunt  and  oblique  at  the  tip.  Nostrils  medial, 
lateral,  longitudinal,  linear,  wider  and  rounded  anteriorly,  open,  and 
pervious.  Feet  rather  slender;  tarsus  nearly  equal  to  the  middle 
toe ;  webs  entire ;  lateral  toes  margined  exteriorly  with  a  narrow 
membrane ;  hind  toe  very  small,  articulated  high  upon  the  tarsus, 
and  wholly  raised  from  the  ground  ;  nails  small,  curved,  and  rather 
acute  ;  hind  nail  sometimes  wanting.  Wings  long  and  acute ;  1st 
and  2d  primaries  nearly  equal  and  the  longest  in  the  wing.  TaU. 
almost  always  even,  of  12  feathers. 

Female  somewhat  smaller,  but  similar  in  plumage  with  the  male. 
The  young,  for  several  years  (in  the  larger  species  for  4  or  5,)  dif- 
ferent from  the  adult.  They  moult  twice  in  the  year,  changing  the 
colors  of  the  head  only ;  the  young  moulting  continually.  The 
plumage  is  remarkably  silky,  elastic,  and  plentifully  supplied  with 
down.  The  colors,  including  the  tail,  always  pure  white,  with  a 
distinct  mantle ;  the  mantle  white,  pearl  grey,  or  deep  black.  The 
young  mottled  with  dull  grey,  and  various  tints  of  brownish,  con- 
fusedly spotted ;  bill,  feet,  and  iris  dark,  light  colored  in  the  adult. 

The  Gulls  are  timid,  gluttonous,  and  cowardly  birds,  except  when 
defending  their  young.  They  associate  generally  in  large  flocks,  so 
numerous  at  times,  as  to  cover  the  shores  where  they  dwell,  the 
young  and  old  keeping  in  societies  apart)  the  larger  kinds  being  wholly 


.i.±'ZjA\..it:^!.-viii?ij&^Ji^ii!.'- 


I  >.i  ^2.HHt3RAt  XmSa.  J' 


\\ 


288 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


maritime,  the  smaller  frequent  rivers  and  lakes.    They  alight  on 
rocks,  shoals,  or  on  the  water;  walk  tolerably  well,  and  swim  with 
ease,  but  are  incapable  of  diving.     They  keep  much  upon  the  wing, 
flying  out  with  rapidity,  a  long  sustained  and  even  course,  sometimes 
against  the  strongest  gales  of  wind.     Like  Vultures  they  are  vora^ 
cious,  feeding  on  every  kind  of  animal  food,  whether  dead  or  living, 
fresh  or  tainted ;  the  larger  kinds  also  prey  upon  eggs  and  young 
birds ;  but  their  principal  supply  is  fish,  whose  crowding  shoals  they 
follow  with  much  eagerness,  seizing  their  prey  with  great  iddress, 
as  it  approaches  the  surface  of  the  water,  darting  swiftly  in  the  quest, 
and  at  the  same  time  submerging  the  head.    So  powerful  is  the  gas- 
tric juice  in  this  family  of  birds,  that  it  suffices  even  to  digest  the 
scales  of  fish,  feathers,  and  putrid  matter,  though  when  irritated 
they  often  disgorge  their  undigested  food.    They  are  also  like  other 
ravenous   birds,  patient  of  hunger,  but  eager  and  quarrelsome  for 
food,  and  are  naturally  so  morose  and  resentful  as  sometimes  to 
attack  each  other  without  any  apparent  cause ;  and  fall  on  and  de- 
vour even  those  of  their  own  species  whom  they  may  have  acciden- 
tally wounded ;  being  unable  to  resist  their  cannibal  fondness  for 
the  taste  of  blood.     They  breed  only  once  in  the  year,  choosing,  on 
such  occasions,  the  most  desert  places,  or  savage  and  inaccessible 
rocks,  retiring  to  the  remotest  of  the  Arctic  islands,  and  desolate 
coasts,  nesting,  or  rather  merely  laying  their  eggs  on  the  naked 
rocks,  or  on  the  surface  of  marshy  weeds,  though  some  of  the  spe- 
cies even  construct  nests  in  low  trees  near  the  coast,  as  well  as  on 
the  ground.     The  eggs  are  from  2  to  4 ;  and  the  young  leaving  the 
nest  soon  after  hatching,  are  carefully  hidden,  fed,  and  protected  by 
their  parents  for  several  weeks  before  they  are  able  to  provide  for 
themselves.     The  Gulls  are  clamorous,  having  a  loud,  shrill  and 
harsh  voice,  their  cries  being  often  repeated  while  flying.     The  flesh 
is  generally  tough  and  unsavory ;  except  in  the  young  of  the  smaller 
insectivorous  species,  which  may  be  considered  rather  as  palatable 
game. 

The  tribe  of  Gulls  are  spread  all  over  the  world  ;  the  species  also 
are  numerous,  and  resemble  each  other  in  an  extraordinary  degree  in 
all  their  different  states  of  plumage. 


t.  *. 


V44(*«' «'.>•■"• 


n 


LITTLE   OULL. 


389 


.  on 


LITTLE  GULL. 

(Lams  mintUuSf  Pallas.  Gmel.  Lath.  Ind.  sp.  5.  Tehm.  Man. 
d'Orn.  ii.  p.  787.  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  292.  Nacm.  Vog.  Nachtr. 
tab.  3.  fig.  72.  [adult.]) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Mantle  pearl  grey ;  quills  white  at  the  point,  shafts 
blackish ;  tarsus  1  inch  long ;  hind  toe  very  small,  with  the  nail 
straight  and  scarcely  apparent.  —  Summer  plumage  ;  with  a  black 
hood  ;  wanting  in  the  winter.  Young  spotted  with  grey  and  black- 
ish, tail  somewhat  forked,  with  a  black  subterminal  band :  feet 
livid  cameous. 

This  small  species  inhabits  the  north  of  both  continents, 
and  was  seen  in  thr  Tnr  countries  in  Franklin's  first  expedi- 
tion, but  does  not  appear  to  be  at  all  common  in  those  coun- 
tries, and  is  equally  rare  in  the  United  States.  In  eastern 
Europe,  Russia,  Livonia  and  Finland,  it  is  common,  but 
very  rare  in  Germany  and  Holland.  It  inhabits  the  banks 
of  rivers,  lakes,  and  the  interior  seas  of  eastern  Europe, 
particularly  the  shores  of  the  Caspian  and  its  tributary 
streams,  and  migrates  in  summer  northward  up  the  Wolga 
in  order  to  breed.  It  is  said  to  nest  also  in  the  eastern  and 
warmer  parts  of  Europe.  Like  the  other  small  species  it 
feeds  upon  insects  and  worms,    i^i- >       .    -  .' 

The  length  of  the  Little  Gull  is  about  lOJ  inches.  Winter  plum- 
age of  the  adults,  with  the  front,  spac-^  between  the  eye  and  bill,  a 
large  spot  behind  the  eyes,  throat,  all  the  other  lower  parts  and  the 
tail,  pure  white.  Occiput,  nape,  spot  before  the  eyes  and  upon  the 
orifice  of  the  ears  blackish-ash.  All  the  other  upper  plumage  of  a 
pale  bluish-ash,  the  quills  also  of  this  color,  but  tipped  largely  with 
pure  white ;  the  interior  of  the  wings  black.  Bill  and  iris  blackish- 
brown.  Feet  of  a  very  lively  vermilion-red.  The  wings  extend  ao 
inch,  beyond  the  extremity  of  the  tail. 

Summer  and  nuptial  plumage.  —  All  the  head  and  the  upper  part 
of  the  neck,  clothed,  as  it  were,  with  a  black  hood.    A  white  cres- 
cent behind  the  eyes,  a  portion  of  the  lower  part  of  the  neck,  and 
25 


"^.^ 


290 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


all  the  lower  parts  of  an  aurora  or  blush-white.  Rump  and  tail  white. 
Back,  scapulars,  and  the  whole  wing  of  a  pure  and  very  pale  bluish- 
ash.  Quills  ash ;  the  secondaries  tipped  with  white.  Bill  of  a  deep 
lake-red.  Iris  dark-brown.  Feet  carmine-red.  Length  llj^  inches 
or  a  little  more. 


'•^i 


BROWN-MASKED  GULL. 


{Larus  capistratiis,  Temh.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  785.    Bonap.  Synops. 

No.    293.)  .    .    .,,:     ■;.,,,,. ;;,,^^.,. 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Mantle  pearl  grey ;  quills  black  at  the  point,  the 
outer  one  white,  internally  pale  ash ;  shafts  white ;  bill  very  slen- 
der ;  tarsus  about  1^  inches ;  tail  somewhat  emarginate.  —  Summer 
plumage,  the  head  only,  covered  with  a  light  brown  hood.  In  toin- 
ter  without  the  hood.  Young  spotted  with  greyish  and  blackish ; 
tail  with  a  black  subterminal  band. 

This  species,  so  very  similar  with  the  Laughing  Gull,  in- 
habits the  north  of  both  continents  ;  migrating  south  on  the 
approach  of  winter,  at  which  season  they  are  not  uncommon 
on  the  shores  of  the  Delaware  and  the  bay  of  the  Ches^ 
peake.  In  Europe  the  species  seldom  strays  from  its  north- 
ern breeding  places,  and  though  rare  on  the  milder  coasts  of 
Europe,  is  common  in  the  Orkney  islands  in  Scotland.  In 
America  their  summer  residence  appears  to  be  on  the  shores 
and  islands  of  Baffin's  Bay  and  Davis's  Straits,  regions  much 
more  inclement  in  winter  than  their  European  residence, 
and  from  which  they  are  consequently  obliged  to  migrate 
early  in  autumn. 

The  eggs  of  this  species  are  smaller  than  those  of  the 
Laughing  Gull,  greenish-ash  with  blackish-brown  spots. 

The  Brown-Masked  Gull  is  about  14  inches  long.  The  winter 
plumage  of  this  species  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  Laughing  Gull, 
from  which ,  however,  it  is  still  distinguishable  by  its  smaller  size, 
its  bill  much  more  small  and  slender;  and  the  tarsus  and  toes 
shorter,  have  also  a  tint  of  reddish-brown.  ,    .. 


BLACK-HEADED    GULL. 


S91 


Summer  plumage,  with  the  front  of  a  soiled  greyish-brown  ;  sum- 
mit  of  the  head,  cheeks,  orifice  of  the  ears  and  throat,  pale  brown. 
Occiput,  nape,  and  fore  part  of  the  neck  white ;  the  brown  upon  the 
throat  much  deeper  than  on  the  head.  Bill  reddiah-brown ;  the  feet 
of  the  same  color,  but  paler. 


■•'•7' 


BLACK-HEADED  GULL. 

(Larus  atricilla,  Lin.  Lath.  ii.  p.  813.  Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p. 
780.  BoNAP.  Synops.  No.  294.  L.  ridibundus,  Wilson,  ix.  pi. 
74.  fig.  4.  Laughing  Gull,  Catesby,  Car.  i.  t.  89.  Penn.  Arct. 
Zool.  ii.  No.  454.  Mouette  Rieuse,  Briss.  vii.  p.  193.  1. 18.  fig.  1. 
Phil.  Museum,  No.  3881.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Mantle  dark  bluish-ash;  quills  black  ;  bill  robust, 
and  as  well  as  the  feet  dark  red  ;  tarsus  nearly  2  inches.  —  Summer 
plumage,  with  a  dark  lead  colored  hood  on  the  head  and  neck,  de- 
scending lower  down  before  than  behind.  Winter  dress  without 
the  hood.  Young  brownish,  skirted  with  whitish  and  some  ferru- 
ginous ;  the  tail  with  a  black  subterminal  band. 

This  species,  very  common  in  most  parts  of  America,  is 
also  frequent  in  Europe,  particularly  in  the  warmer  parts,  as 
the  coasts  of  Sicily,  Spain,  and  the  islands  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean ;   elsewhere,  in  that  continent  it  is  rare  and  acciden- 


892 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


tal.  In  America  it  is  found  as  far  south  as  Cayenne  and 
Mexico,  but  does  not  appear  to  inhabit  far  north  of  the  lim- 
its of  the  Union.  On  the  coast  of  New  Jersey  they  make 
their  appearance  in  the  latter  part  of  April,  and  are  soon 
discovered  by  their  familiarity  and  noise;  companies  are 
even  seen  at  times  around  the  farm  house,  or  coursing  along 
the  river  shores,  attending  upon  the  track  of  the  fishermen 
for  garbage,  gleaning  among  the  refuse  of  the  tide ;  or  scat- 
tering over  the  marshes  and  plowing  fields,  they  collect,  at 
this  season,  an  abundant  repast  of  worms,  insects  and  their 
larvse.  Great  numbers  are  also  seen  collected  together  to 
feed  upon  the  prolific  spawn  of  the  King-Crab.  While  thus 
engaged,  if  approached,  they  rise  as  it  were  in  clouds,  at  the 
same  time  squalling  so  loudly  that  the  din  may  be  heard 
for  two  or  three  miles. 

The  Black-Headed  Gulls  breed  in  the  marshes  of  New 
Jersey,  but  are  not  seen  at  this  period  in  New  England,  and 
are  indeed  at  all  times  rare  in  this  quarter.  The  eggs,  3  in 
number,  are  of  a  drab  or  olive-grey,  thinly  marked  with  small 
irregular  touches  of  pale  purple,  and  dilute  brown,  They 
measure  2^  inches  by  1^.  Being  apparently  a  somewhat 
tender  species,  they  retire  to  the  south  early  in  autumn,  and 
on  commencing  their  migrations,  if  the  weather  be  calm, 
they  are  seen  to  rise  up  in  the  air  spirally,  all  loudly  chatter- 
ing as  it  were  in  concert,  like  a  flock  of  cackling  hens,  the 
note  changing  at  short  intervals  into  a  'haw,  'ha  'ha  'ha  'haw, 
the  final  syllable  lengthened  out  into  an  excessive  and 
broad  laugh.  After  ascending  to  a  considerable  height,  they 
all  move  off,  by  common  consent,  in  the  line  of  their  in- 
tended destination.   •     ''      '  • 

On  the  4th  of  March,  (1830)  while  at  Beaufort,  North 
Carolina,  in  company  with  several  other  species,  I  saw  a 
small  flock  of  these  risible  Gulls,  which  every  now  and 
then,  while  amusing  themselves  by  fishing   and  plunging 


M^ 


>-aAMKLIN  8   ROSY   GULL. 


996 


after  their  prey  of  fry,  burst  out  very  oddly  into  a  oh  oh  agh 
agh,  or  a  coarse  screaming  laugh.  These  birds  had  not 
proceeded  in  their  migrations  further  probably  than  Florida, 
or  the  coast  of  the  Mexican  Gulf. 

The  length  of  this  species  is  about  17  inches ;  alar  extent  3j^  feet. 
Swnmer  plumage;  the  bill,  bare  space  above  the  knee,  legs,  feet, 
sides  of  the  mouth  and  eye-lids,  dark  lake -red.  The  bill  nearly  3j| 
inches  long.  Irids  dark  hazel.  Above  and  below  each  eye  marked 
with  a  spot  of  white.  Head  and  part  of  the  neck  black  ;  remainder 
of  the  neck,  breast,  whole  lower  parts,  tail  coverts  and  tail,  pure 
white.  Scapulars,  wing  coverts,  and  whole  upper  parts  dark  blue 
ash-color.  The  first  5  primaries  black  towards  their  extremities ; 
secondaries  tipped  widely  with  white,  and  all  the  primaries  except 
the  1st  and  2d  slightly  touched  with  the  same.  Tail  nearly  even,  its 
coverts  extending  to  within  1^  inches  of  its  tip.  The  closed  wings 
extend  2  inches  beyond  the  tail.  A  delicate  tint  of  blush  is  percep« 
tible  along  the  breast  and  belly. 


FRANKLIN'S  ROSY  GULL. 

(Larus  Franklinii,  Swainson  and  Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  424. 
pi.  72.    L.  atricilla,  Sabine.  Franklin's  Journ.  p.  695.) 

Sr.  Charact.  —  Mantle  pearl  grey ;  the  5  exterior  quills  broadly 
barred  with  black,  the  first  one  tipped  with  white  for  an  inch ;  bill 
and  feet  vermilion-red  ;  tarsus  20  lines  long.  —  Summer  dregs,  with 
a  black  hood. 

According  to  Dr.  Richardson  this  is  a  very  common  spe- 
cies in  the  interior  of  the  fiir  countries,  where  it  frequents 
the  shores  of  the  largei  lakes.  They  generally  associate  in 
flocks,  and  are  very  noisy.  They  breed  also  in  the  neigh- 
boring marshes.  *  -^      ^ 

The  present  species  is  17  inches  in  length :  of  the  bill  above  1 

inch  5  lines.    Tarsus  1  inch  8  lines.    Middle  toe   1  inch  3  lines. 

Summer  plumage  :  both  eye-lids,  the  neck,  rump,  tail,  and  whole  un< 

der  plumage,  white ;  the  latter  and  interior  of  the  wings  deeply 

25* 


394 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRO0. 


tinged  with  peach-bIoi«om  red.  A  black  hood  ooveriiiff  three  qncr* 
ten  of  an  inch  of  the  nape,  and  extending  as  much  lower  on  the 
throat.  Mantle  and  wing*  bluish-grey.  The  outer  web  of  the  fimt 
quill  feather  is  black  to  near  the  tip,  and  a  broad  band  of  the  same 
crosses  the  ends  of  the  5  outer  primaries :  all  the  quill  feathers  are 
terminated  with  white,  that  on  the  first  primary  and  of  all  the  secon* 
daries  being  upwards  of  an  inch  long ;  all  the  shafts  whitish.  Bill 
and  legs  vermilion,  the  former  obscurely  barred  near  the  tip.  Bill 
stout,  rather  curved  from  the  nostrils ;  its  depth  equal  to  twice  iti 
breadth.  Wings  an  inch  and  a  half  longer  than  the  perfectly  even 
tail.    Bare  space  above  the  knee  one  inch.. 


BONAPARTIAN  GULL. 

(Larua  Bonapartii,  Swain,  et  Ric.;ard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  435.)  ^ 

Sp.  Charact.  —  With  a  black  slender  bill ;  the  mouth  and  feet  car- 
mine-red ;  wings  bordered  with  white  anteriorly ;  posteriorly  to- 
gether with  the  back,  pearl  grey ;  6  exterior  quills  black  at  the 
end,  slightly  tipped  with  white ;  the  first  quills  entirely  black  ex- 
teriorly ;  tarsus  scarcely  an  inch  and  a  half  long.  —  Summer  plu-- 
mage,  with  the  head  greyish-black.  m. 

This  elegant  Gull  is  common  in  all  parts  of  the  fur  coun- 
tries, where  it  associates  with  the  Terus,  and  is  distinguish- 
ed by  its  peculiar,  shrill  and  plaintive  cry.  It  is  allied  to  L. 
capistratus  of  Bonaparte.  Small  flocks,  early  in  autumn, 
are  occasionally  seen  on  the  coast  of  Massachusetts,  and 
sometimes  high  in  the  air  their  almost  melodious  whistling 
is  heard,  as  they  proceed  on  their  way  to  the  south,  or  in- 
land to  feed.  Their  prey  appears  to  be  chiefly  insects ;  and 
two  which  I  had  an  opportunity  of  examining  were  gorged 
with  ants  and  their  eggs,  and  some  larvae  of  moths  in  their 
pupa  state.  These  birds  both  old  and  young  are  good 
food.  V. 

Length'  of  the  adult  15;^  inches ;  of  the  bill  from  above,  1  inch  3 
lines.  Summer  plumage  ;  with  the  neck,  tail  coverts,  tail,  whole  under 


WEDOE-TAILKO    OULL. 


296 


f 
{> 


plumage  and  interior  of  the  wings  pure  white.  Hood  greyiih-black, 
extending  half  an  inch  over  the  nape,  and  aa  much  lower  on  the 
throat.  Mantle  pearl  grey,  this  color  extending  to  the  tips  of  the 
tertiaries,  secondaries,  and  two  posterior  primaries.  The  anterior 
border  of  the  wing  is  white  from  its  shoulder  for  the  breadth  of  4 
greater  primary  coverts.  The  exterior  web  of  the  outer  primary, 
and  the  ends  of  the  first  G  are  deep  black,  most  of  them  slightly  tip* 
ped  with  white,  the  7th  and  tith  are  merely  blotched  with  black  on 
their  tips.  The  inner  web  of  the  first  primary,  and  the  outer  webi 
of  the  3  following  ones,  with  their  Bhafls,are  pure  white.  Bill  shin- 
ing black.  Inside  of  the  mouth  and  legs  bright  carmine-red.  Iridi 
dark  brown.  Bill  slender  at\d  nearly  straight,  conspicuously  notched 
at  the  tip ;  much  compressed  at  the  point,  and  the  breadth  at  the 
base  exceeds  its  depth.  Wings  2  inches  lunger  than  the  tail,  which 
is  vory  slightly  rounded  laterally. 

In  the  young  bird,  the  crown  of  the  head,  back  of  the  neck,  scap- 
ulars and  interscapulars  are  greyish-brown  with  paler  tips.  Middle 
of  the  wing  and  tertiaries  blackish -brown,  the  tips  lighter ;  bastard 
wing  and  primary  coverts  blotched  with  the  same.  Throat  and  up- 
per part  of  the  breast  faintly  tinged  with  buff.  Tail  with  a  blackish 
subterminal  band.  Bill  brownish,  pale  at  the  base  beneath.  Legs 
clay  colored.  In  the  bird  of  one  year  old  flesh-colored.  In  the 
adult  specimen,  as  in  that  of  Dr.  Richardson,  the  exterior  web  of  the 
2d  quill  is  irregularly  marked  with  a  narrow  black  mark  on  the  edge. 


.(;      ,.S1 


WEDGE-TAILED  GULL. 


(Larus    Rossii,    Richardson,  North.  Zool.  ii.    p.  427.     L.  roseus, 
Jardine  and  Selby,  Orn.  Illust.  p.  1.  pi.  14.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  With  a  pearl  grey  mantle;  wings  longer  than  the 
cuneiform  tail ;  the  outer  web  of  the  first  quill  feather  blackish ; 
bill  black  and  slender ;  tarsus  an  inch  long,  and  as  well  as  the  feet, 
vermilion-red. 

Specimens  of  this  species  were  collected  on  the  coast  of 
Melville  Peninsula,  in  Sir  Edward  Parry's  second  voyage. 
Commander  Ross  afterwards  in  his  most  adventurous  boat 
voyage  towards  the  Pole,  relates  that  several  were  seen  dur« 


WEU-FOOTUD    BIRDS. 


ing  the  journey  over  the  ice  north  of  Spitz  bergen,  and  that 
Lieutenant  Foster  albo  found  the  species  in  Waygate  Straits, 
which  is  probably  one  of  its  breeding  places. 

Length  of  the  ipeciea  14  inches ;  of  the  wing  10^  inche*.  Length 
of  the  bill  above  i)  linea  ;  of  the  tsrsua  1  inch  1  line  Summer  plu' 
mage  ;  scapulars,  interscapulars,  and  both  surfkoes  of  the  wings  clear 
pearl  grey ;  outer  web  of  the  first  quill  blackish-brown  to  its  tip, 
which  is  grey ;  tips  of  the  scapulars  and  lesser  quills  whitish.  Some 
small  feathers  near  the  eye,  and  a  collar  round  the  middle  of  the 
neck,  pitch  black.  Rest  of  the  plumage  white,  the  neck  above  and 
the  whole  under  plumage  deeply  tinged  with  peach-blossom  red,  in 
recent  specimens.  Bill  black,  slender,  weak  ;  the  upper  mandible 
■lightly  arched  and  compressed  towards  the  point ;  rictus  and  the 
edges  of  the  eye-lids  reddish-orange.  Wings  an  inch  longer  than 
the  decidedly  cuneiform  tail.  Legs  and  feet  vermilion-red ;  tarsi 
rather  stout,  the  hind  toe  very  distinct,  armed  with  a  nail  as  large  as 
that  of  the  outer  toe. 


FORK-TAILED  GULL.  > 

(Larus  Su/nnii,  J.  Sabine,  Lin.  Trans,  xii.  p.  520.  pi.  S9.  Sabine,. 
(Captain)  Greenl.  Birds,  p.  551.  No.  23.  Richard.  Append. 
Parry's  Second  Voy.  p.  SCO.  No.  25.  Xema  Sabinii,  Leach.  Ross. 
Voyage.  Append,  p.  57.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Tail  forked  ;  bill  black,  with  a  yellow  tip ;  first  5 
primaries  black,  bordered  with  white  nearly  to  their  tips.  —  Adult 
in  summer,  with  a  blackish-grey  hood  bounded  by  a  black 
collar. 

^  This  interesting  species  was  discovered  by  Captain  Ed- 
ward Sabine,  on  the  25th  of  July,  at  its  breeding  station  on 
some  low  rocky  islands,  lying  off  the  west  coast  of  Green- 
land, associated  in  considerable  numbers  with  the  Arctic 
Tern,  the  nests  of  both  birds  being  intermingled.  It  is 
analogous  to  the  Tern,  not  only  in  its  forked  tail,  and  in  its 
choice  of  a  breeding  place,  but  also  in  the  boldness  which 
it  displays  in  the  protection  of  its  young.     The  parent  birds 


FORK-TAILED   OULL. 


907 


flew  with  impetuosity  towards  those  who  approached  their 
nests,  and,  when  one  was  killed,  its  mate,  ihoucrh  frequently 
fired  at,  continued  on  the  wing  close  to  the  spot.  They 
were  observed  to  collect  their  footl  from  (lie  sea  bt*iich, 
otanding  near  the  edge  of  the  water,  nnd  gleaninr  up  the 
marine  insects  which  were  cast  on  shore.  A  single  indi- 
vidual was  seen  in  Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  and  many  speci- 
mens were  procured,  in  the  course  of  the  second  voyage,  on 
Melville  Peninsula.  A  pair  were  also  obtained  at  Spitzber- 
gen,  so  that  it  is  a  pretty  general  summer  resident  on  the 
shores  of  the  Arctic  seas,  and  may  thus  be  enumerated 
amongst  the  European  as  well  as  the  American  birds.  It 
arrives  in  these  remote  boreal  regions  in  June,  and  retires  to 
the  southward  in  August.  When  newly  killed  they  had  all 
a  delicate  pink  blush  on  their  under  plumage.  The  eggs, 
S  in  number,  are  deposited  on  the  bare  ground,  and 
hatched  in  the  last  week  of  July.  They  are  of  an  olive 
color  with  many  brown  blotches,  and  about  an  inch  and  a 
half  in  length.       v  ,-.      ;/      /  .,  y.,. 

The  length  of  the  apccies  about  13||  inches  ;  of  the  tail  5  inches  ; 
the  wing  11  inches  long :  Die  bill  from  above,  1  inch  *,  the  tarsus  1 
inch  4  lines  ;  depth  of  the  fork  of  the  tail  1  inch.  Summer  plumage  ; 
with  the  head  and  upper  part  of  the  throat  blackish-grey,  bounded  by 
a  velvet  black  collar.  Mantle  bluish-grey.  The  anterior  border  of 
the  wing,  primary  coverts,  and  5  first  primaries  pitch  black,  the  lat« 
ter  broadly  bordered  anteriorly  with  white  nearly  to  their  tips.  The 
rest  of  the  primaries,  the  greater  part  of  the  secondary  coverts,  the 
ends  of  the  secondaries,  tips  of  the  tertiaries  and  scapulars,  with  the 
neck,  tail,  and  whole  under  plumage,  pure  white.  Bill  black,  with 
a  yellow  tip ;  the  upper  mandible  a  little  curved  at  the  point,  and 
with  a  conspicuous  salient  angle  on  the  lower  one.  Inside  of  the 
mouth  and  edges  of  the  eye-lids  vermilion-red.  Legs  and  feet 
black.  Irids  the  same.  The  bill  is  much  smaller  than  that  of  L.  ri- 
dihundus  and  L.  tridactylus,  but  twice  as  stout  as  that  of  L.  Rossii. 
Wings  an  inch  longer  than  the  tail.  The  nail  of  the  hind  toe  is  very 
small.     The  winter  plumage  and  that  of  the  young  is  yet  unknown. 


\  t 


298       • 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


KITTIWAKE  GULL. 


A^^^■ 


(Larus  tridactylus,  Lath.  Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  774.  Bonap.  Sy- 
nops.  No.  295.  Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  423.  Mouette  Cen- 
drie,  Buff.  PI.  Enlum.  387.  Kittiwake,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  No. 
456.  Suppl.  p.  70.  [winter  dress]  Larus  rissa.  Idem.  Suppl.  p.  70. 
Tarrock.  Id.  p.  533.  D.  Ritaa,  of  the  Icelanders.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Mantle  blue-grey;  quills  black  at  the  point;  hind 
toe  obsolete  and  without  nail.  —  Summer  plumage,  with  the  head 
and  nock  pure  white.  Winter  dress,  with  the  head  and  neck  bluish- 
grey  ;  slender  black  lines  before  the  eyes.  Young  soiled  and  spot- 
ted;  tail  with  a  black  subterminal  band.  ■    v   ',1^:'^' 

The  Kittiwake  or  Tarrock  is  found  in  the  north  of 
both  continents.  It  inhabits  Newfoundland,  Labrador,  the 
islands  in  the  Gulf  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  *  the  coasts  of  the 
Pacific,  Spitzbergen,  Greenland,  Iceland  and  the  north  of 
Europe,  as  well  as  the  arctic  coast  of  Asia  and  Kamtschat- 
ka.  It  likewise  breeds  in  some  of  the  Scottish  islands  ;  and 
is  generally  found  about  saline  lakes,  and  the  interior  seas 
and  gulfs  ;  but  is  less  frequent  on  the  borders  of  the  ocean. 
In  autumn  they  spread  themselves  on  the  banks  of  rivers 
and  lakes.  They  feed  upon  fish,  fry  and  insects :  and 
nest  upon  the  rocks  near  the  sea  coast ;  laying  3  eggs  of  an 
olivaceous  white,  marked  with  a  great  number  of  small  dark 
spots,  and  other  greyish  ones  less  distinct.  In  Iceland  they 
inhabit  the  cliffs  of  the  coast  in  vast  numbers,  and  utter 
loud  and  discordant  cries,  particularly  on  the  approach  of 
rapacious  birds,  as  the  Sea  Eagle,  who  probably  prey  upon 
their  young.  Both  their  flesh  and  eggs  are  esteemed  as 
good  food. 

The  length  of  the  Kittiwake  is  about  15J  inches.  Length  of  the 
wing  12  inches ;  of  the  bill  from  above,  1  inch  4  lines ;  tarsus  about 
the  same  length  with  the  bill.  Summer  dress,  with  the  mantle  blu- 
ish-grey.    Ends  of  the  5  exterior  quills,  and  outer  web  of  the  first, 

.s..iv>:  ♦Audubon,  information  by  letter, 


COMMON   GULL,  OR   MEW. 


"l^J 


209 


black  :  the  4th  and  5th  have  Bmall  white  tips.  Head,  neck,  rump, 
tail,  and  whole  under  plumage,  white.  Bill  yellowish.  Orbits  and 
inside  of  the  mouth  orange  colored.  Legs  blackish.  Tail  2  inches 
longer  than  the  wings.  In  winter  the  hind  head  and  neck  are  French 
grey,  and  the  plumage  between  the  eye  and  bill  is  finely  streaked 
with  black.    In  the  young  the  bill  is  black. 


COMMON  GULL,  or  MEW. 


.^.-vs 


upon 
ed  as 

of  the 
about 
blu- 
first, 


(Larus  canus,  Lin.  Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  771.  Bonap.  Syn.  No. 
296.  Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  420.  Mouette  a  pieda  bleus. 
Buff.  Ois.  viii.  p.  428.  PI.  Enlum.  977.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Mantle  bluish-grey:  quills  black  at  the  point,  reach- 
ing much  beyond  the  tail ;  shafts  black ;  bill  small ;  feet  bluish ;  tar- 
sus little  more  than  2  inches.  —  Summer  plumage,  with  the  head 
and  neck  pure  white.  Winter  dress;  the  head  and  neck  spotted 
with  blackish.     Young  brownish-cinereous,  varied  with  rusty. 

The  common  Gull,  like  so  many  other  species  is  com- 
mon to  the  shores  of  both  continents.  It  breeds  in  Arctic 
America,  and  is  found  in  Iceland  and  the  Russian  lakes. 
At  the  approach  of  winter  they  retire  south,  and  at  this  time 
are  numerous  in  the  Middle  States  of  the  Union.  At  the 
approach  of  storms  they  are  often  seen  to  travel  inland  in 
flocks.  From  its  disagreeable  and  squalling,  almost  feline  ' 
cry,  it  has  received  the  name  of  mew  and  mall.  It  nests 
usually  in  the  herbage,  near  the  outlets  of  rivers  and  on  the 
borders  of  the  sea ;  the  eggs  are  3,  of  a  bluish  ochraceous 
tint,  marked  with  irregular  spots  of  black  and  cinereous. 
They  live  upon  fish,  worms,  marine  insects,  and  bivalve 
shells,  which  last  they  are  known  sometimes  to  carry  up  into 
the  air  and  drop  them  on  the  ground  in  order  to  obtain  their 
contents.  On  being  alarmed  they  disgorge  their  food,  but 
swallow  it  again  when  the  fright  is  over.  ^  > 

The  length  of  the  Common  Gull  is  about  19  inches ;  the  wing  14 
inches ;  the  bill  from  above,  1  inch  and  nearly  5  lines  ;  the  tarsus  2 


300 


HTfiB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


inches  1  line,  dummer  plumage,  with  the  mantle  and  wings  pearl 
grey.  The  first  6  quills  black  towards  their  ends,  that  color  extend- 
ing to  the  base  of  the  first,  but  forming  merely  a  narrow  bar  on  the 
6th ;  the  first  and  second  have  a  long  white  space  near  their  tips ; 
the  others,  the  lesser  quills  and  scapulars,  are  conspicuously  termi- 
nated with  white.  Shafls  of  the  two  or  three  exterior  quills  black. 
Head,  neck,  shoulders,  rump,  tail,  and  whole  under  plumage,  white. 
Bill  considerably  compressed,  wax-yellow,  tipped  with  bright  yellow. 
Legs  blackish -grey,  blotched  with  yellow  on  the  webs.  Wings  2 
inches  longer  than  the  tail ;  thighs  bare  for  an  inch. 


/  V     RING-BILLED  MEW  GULL. 

■  ^..    (Larus  zonorhynchus,  Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  421.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Commissure  of  the  stout  ringed  bill  rather  longer 
than  the  tarsus,  which  measures  2^  inches ;  ends  of  the  quills  and 
their  shafls  blackish;  a  short  white  space  on  the  two  exterior 
ones.  •:     • 

This  Gull,  which  breeds  in  considerable  numbers  in 
swampy  places  on  the  banks  of  the  Saskatchewan,  bears  a 
close  resemblance  to  L.  canus.  Its  plumage  is  the  same, 
except  that  the  white  spaces  near  the  ends  of  the  first  and 
second  quill  feathers  are  one  half  shorter,  and  in  some  speci- 
mens there  is  none  at  all  on  the  second.  It  differs  how- 
ever, remarkably  in  the  size  of  the  bill,  which  approaches 
that  of  L.  argentatoides,  being  much  wider  at  the  base, 
more  rounded  on  the  ridge,  and  stronger  every  way  than 
that  of  L.  canus :  it  has  a  conspicuous  salient  angle  be- 
neath, and  is  of  a  dutch-orange  color,  with  a  blackish  ring 
near  its  tip.  The  wings  are  2  inches  longer  than  the  tail. 
It  is  smaller  than  L.  argentatoides  of  Bonaparte,  and  its 
nostrils  are  shaped  like  those  of  L.  canus. 

Length  22  inches ;  the  wing  15  inches  3  lines ;  of  the  bill  from 
above,  1  inch  9  lines :  tarsus  2  inches  5  lines.    A  second  male  speci- 


■  ■  -.■4-- 


). 


r 


IVORY   GVLL. 


301 


men  is  an  inch  shorter,  and  has  the  tarsus  only  2  inches  2  lines  long ; 
It  third  individual  is  of  intermediate  dimensions.  ..  .^^ 


SHORT-BILLED  MEW  GULL. 

(Larus  brachyrhynchus,  Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  422.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  With  a  short,  thickish  bill;  the  tarsus  scarcely  2 
inches  long ;  quills  not  tipped  with  white :  a  short  white  space  on 
the  2  exterior  ones,  and  blackish  shafls. 

The  specimen  described  by  Dr.  Richardson  was  a  fe- 
male, killed  on  the  23d  of  May,  1826,  at  Great  Bear  Lake. 
Some  brown  markings  on  the  tertiaries,  primary  coverts  and 
bastard  wing,  with  an  imperfect  subterminal  bar  on  the  tail, 
point  it  out  as  a  young  bird,  in  the  spring  moult.  The  bill  is 
shorter  than  in  L.  zonorhynchus,  and  stouter  than  in  L.  ca- 
nus,  and  like  it,  is  wax-yellow,  with  a  bright  yellow  rictus 
and  point.  Its  tarsus  is  nearly  one  third  shorter  than  that 
of  the  Ring-Billed  Gull. 

Length  19  inches ;  wing  13^  ;  of  the  bill  above,  l^  inches ;  tarsus 
1  inch  11  lines. 


IVORY  GULL. 

(Larus  eburneus,  Gmel.  Lath.  Ind.  sp.  10.   Temm.  ii.  p.  769.  Bonap. 
Syn.  No.  297.    Richard.    North.   Zool.  ii.  p.  419.    Ivory  Gull 
Penn.   Arct.   Zool.   ii.  p.  529.   No.  457.    La  Mouette  Blanche,^ 
Buff.  Ois.  viii.  p.  422.  PI.  Enlum.  994.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Pure  white  ;  bill  stout ;  feet  black ;  naked  space 
above  the  tarsus  very  small ;  webs  of  the  feet  somewhat  indented ; 
tarsus  Ii  inches;  first  primary  longest. —  Young;  lores  and  chin 
dusky -grey,  dark  brownish  spots  on  the  wing  coverts  and  scapu- 
lars,  with  bars  of  the  same  on  the  end  of  the  tail  and  tips  of  the 
quills :  bill  blackish,  pale  at  the  tip. 
26 


I».l<»»' 


302 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


This  beautiful  species,  called  sometimes  the  Snow  Bird, 
from  the  pure  whiteness  of  its  plumage,  is  found  in  great 
numbers  on  the  coasts  of  Spitzberg,  Greenland,  Davis's 
Straits  and  Baffin's  Bay,  and  various  parts  of  the  northern 
shores  of  the  American  continent.  It  seldom  migrates  far 
from  its  natal  regions ;  is  a  pretty  constant  attendant  on  the 
whale  fishers,  and  preys  on  blubber,  dead  whales,  and  other 
carrion.  Dr.  Richardson  observed  it  breeding  in  great 
numbers  on  the  high  broken  cliffs  which  form  the  extremity 
of  Cape  Parry,  in  latitude  70°.  It  is  also  found  on  the  Pa- 
cific coast  as  far  as  Nootka  Sound,  and  commonly  wanders 
far  out  to  sea,  seldom  approaching  the  land  but  during  the 
period  of  incubation.  Its  only  note  consists  of  a  loud  and 
disagreable  scream. 

The  length  of  the  Ivory  Gull  is  about  18  inches ;  of  the  wing 
13 ;  the  bill  from  above  1  inch  3  lines ;  the  tarsus  about  1^  inches. 
The  mature  bird  is  pure  white.  The  bill  wax-yellow  at  the  base, 
ochre-yellow  towards  the  point.  Orbits  red.  Irides  brown.  Legs 
and  feet  black.  Wings  an  inch  and  a  half  longer  than  the  even 
tail. 


SILVERY  GULL. 

(Lams  fuscus,  Lin.  Tehh.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  767.  Boitap.  Syn* 
ops.  No.  298.  Herring  Gull,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  452.  La 
Goeland  d,  manteau  gris  brun,  Buff.  Ois.  viii.  p.  379.  Gelb-FuS' 
sige  Meve,  Meyer.  Vog.  Deut.  2.  heft.  18.  [adult.]) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Mantle  slate-black ;  quills  almost  wholly  black,  the 
wings  extending  2  inches  beyond  the  tail ;  bill  short,  but  not 
stout ;  feet  yellow  ;  tarsus  21^  inches.  —  Summer  plumage,  head  and 
neck  pure  white.  Winter  dress,  with  the  head  and  neck  streaked 
with  light-brown.  Young,  blackish-grey,  mottled  with  yellowish- 
rusty. 

The  Silvery  Gull  inhabits  the  north  of  Europe,  Iceland, 
Greenland,  Siberia,  Newfoundland  and  Hudson's  Bay;  they 


^^.i.*^.:.-^". 


SILVERY   GULL. 


303 


are  also  seen  about  the  Caspian  and  Black  Seas,  and  their 
tributary  streams.  In  the  Middle  and  Northern  States  they 
are  common  during  winter,  and  extend  their  migrations  at 
this  period  as  far  south  as  Jamaica.  They  breed  in  the 
milder  parts  of  Europe,  in  the  boreal  regions  of  America ; 
and  are  said  also  to  pass  the  summer  on  the  islands  off  the 
coast  of  South  Carolina  for  the  same  purpose.  They  feed 
chiefly  on  fish,  both  living  and  dead,  on  fry,  carrion,  and 
rarely,  on  bivalve  shell-fish.  In  a  state  of  confinement  they 
exhibit  considerable  docility,  and  are  observed  to  catch 
beetles  and  other  large  coleopterous  insects,  which  fly 
abroad  in  the  dusk  of  evening.  They  utter  harsh  and 
piercing  cries  in  the  breeding  season,  and  are  very  clamo- 
rous when  disturbed  in  their  eyries.  On  an  island  off 
St.  David's  in  Wales  they  breed  annually  ;  the  nests,  made 
of  a  handful  of  long  dry  grass,  are  very  numerous,  formed 
among  the  herbage  and  loose  stones  on  the  summit  of  the 
island.  The  eggs,  2  in  number,  are  of  a  dark  or  grey  olive- 
brown,  with  dusky  blotches. 

The  Silvery  Gull  is  about  20  to  21  inches  long.  Winter  plumage 
qf  the  adults,  with  the  summit  of  the  head,  region  of  the  eyes,  oc- 
ciput, nape,  and  sides  of  the  neck,  white,  but  with  all  the  feathers 
marked  in  the  centre  with  a  longitudinal  streak  of  pale  brown. 
Front,  throat,  all  the  other  lower  parts,  back  and  tail  of  a  pure  white. 
Top  of  the  back,  scapulars  and  the  whole  wing  deep  black,  appear- 
ing shaded  with  ash  color.  The  quills  almost  entirely  black; 
towards  the  ends  of  the  2  exterior  ones  there  is  an  oval  white  spot 
terminating  with  black ;  secondaries  and  scapulars  also  terminating 
with  white.  Bill  citron  yellow  :  angle  of  the  lower  mandible  lively 
red.  Naked  border  round  the  eyes  red.  Iris  very  pale  yellow. 
Feet  fine  yellow.  —  The  female  is  less  by  an  inch. 

The  young  to  the  age  of  3  years.  Those  of  the  year  have  the  throat 
and  fore  part  of  the  neck  whitish,  with  longitudinal  streaks  of  pale 
brown.  Neck  and  lower  parts  whitish,  almost  totally  covered  with 
large  and  very  deep  brown  spots  Upper  parts  and  all  the  feathers 
of  the  wings  blackish-brown  in  the  middle,  each  bordered  with  a 


< 


s^-r^sjaaagg  i  rnrr"r»jci£» 


ii 


804 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


narrow  yellowish  band.  Tail  feathers  pale  grey  at  their  base,  mar- 
bled with  black ;  all  the  rest  of  the  featliors  very  dusky  edged  with 
white.  Quills  deep  black,  without  any  white  spot  towards  the  ends. 
Bill  black,  brown  at  its  base.    Feet  of  a  dirty  ochre  yellow. 

Summer  plumage  of  the  adults,  with  the  summit  of  the  head,  re- 
gion of  the  eyes,  occiput  and  neck  white,  without  any  brown  spot ', 
the  rest  of  the  plumage  as  in  winter.  '   '''  •'*    ' 


(■; 


'  Yc 


i      HERRING  GULI.. 

(Larus  argentattts,  Brunn.  Orn.  loreal.  p.  44.  No.  149.     Gmel. 

Syst.  ii.  p.  600.  sp.  18.    Herring  Gull,  Lath.  Syn.  vi.  p.  372.  No. 

3.  Fenn.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  452.  Gotland  a  manteaugris  ou  cendri^ 
^  ^BcFF.  Ois.  viii.  p.  406.  t.  32.  PI,  Enlnm.  253.     Larus  argenteus^^ 

and  L.  argentatus,  Brehh.     Silvery  Gull,  Penn.  Arct  Zool.  ii.  p. 

533.  C.    Lath.  Syn.  vi.  p.  375,  [winter  plumage.]) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Mantle  bluish-grey;  wings  extending  beyond  the 
tail;  quills  black  at  the  point,  tipped  with  white;  shafts  black'; 
first  primary  with  a  white  spot  and  tip  of  the  same  color  :  tarsup 
nearly  3  inches.  —  Summer  plumage,  with  the  head  and  neck 
pure  white.  Winter  dress,  with  the  head  and  neck  varied  with 
brown  lines.     Young,  blackish-ash,  mottled  with  yellowish  rusty. 

The  Herring  Gull  is  common  to  the  milder  as  well  as 
cold  countries  of  1x»th  continents.  It  remains  throughout 
the  year  on  the  sea  coasts  of  Holland  and  France ;  and  is 
very  abundant,  according  to  Temminck,  in  the  isles  of  thq 
Qorth  of  Holland.  It  is  seen  sometimes  on  the  borders 
of  lakes  and  rivers,  though  these  visiters  are  chiefly  the 
young. 

Mr.  Audubon  found  these  birds  breeding  abundandy 
on  Grand  Manan  Island,  in  the  Bay  of  Funday,  on  low  fir 
trees  as  well  as  on  the  ground,  the  nest  being  large  and 
loose,  composed  of  sea-weeds,  roots,  sticks  and  feathers^ 
They  are  very  resentful  and  clamorous  when  approached, 


..:  ■  j,<:~-,y.  ■. , - 


WHITE   WINGED   SILVERY   GULL. 


305 


W 


screaming  or  barking  like  the  sound  of  dkdk  'kttkaJe.  It 
also  inhabits  on  other  islands,  and  he  found  it  again  in 
Labrador.  It  is  ravenous  and  tyrannical  to  other  small 
birds ;  but  the  young  and  the  eggs  are  considered  as  palaf 
table  food.  They  live  principally  upon  the  produce  of  the 
ocean,  and  generally  upon  fish.  In  Europe  they  nest  in 
small  excavations  on  the  summits  of  the  downs  near  to  the 
sea,  as  well  as  upon  naked  rocks,  according  to  the  con- 
venience of  the  situation,  and  unite  in  great  troops  at  their 
breeding  places.  They  lay  2  or  3  blunt  eggs,  of  a  deep 
olivaceous  tint,  with  some  black  and  ash  colored  spots; 
often  also  of  a  pale  greenish  or  bluish  hue,  with  brown  and 
ash  colored  scattering  spots. 

The  length  of  the  Herring  Gull  is  about  2  feet.  Winter  plumage 
of  the  old  birds,  with  the  top  of  the  head,  region  of  the  eyes,  occiput, 
nape,  and  sides  of  the  neck,  white,  each  feather  with  a  longitudinal 
pale  brown  streak.  Front,  throat,  all  the  other  lower  parts,  back  and 
tail  white.  Top  of  the  back,  scapulars,  the  whole  wing  and  its  quills 
bluish-ash  :  primaries  black  towards  their  ends,  all  terminating  in  a 
large  white  space ;  secondaries  and  scapulars  tipped  with  white. 
Bill  ochre  yellow,  angle  of  the  lower  mandible  lively  red.  Orbits 
yellow.  Iris  the  sama  but  pale.  Feet  livid  flesh  color.  The  fe- 
males  about  an  inch  shorter  than  the  males. 


jlantiy 
5W  fir 
and 
Ithers, 
Iched, 


WHITE-WINGED  SILVERY  GULL. 

(Larus  leucopterus,  Faber,  Bonap.   Synops.  No.  301.    Richard. 
.    North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  418.     *'  L.  glaucoides,  Temm."     L.  argentatus, 

Sabine,  Birds  of  Greenland,  p.  546.     L.  arcticus,  Macgillivrav. 

Wern.  Trans,  v.  p.  268.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Mantle  pale  bluish-ash ;  wings  extending  to  the 
tip  of  the  tail ;  quills  greyish- white,  white  at  the  points,  their  shafts 
pure  white ;  tarsus  2  inches.  —  Summer  plumuge,  with  the  head 
and  neck  pure  white.  Winter  dress  with  the  head  and  neck 
streaked  with  brown.  The  young  mottled  and  of  dingy  colors. 
26* 


MMM 


306 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


AccoRDiKo  to  Dr.  Richardson,  during  Capt.  Ross's  and 
Sir  Edward  Parry's  first  voyages,  many  specimens  of  this 
Gull  were  obtained  in  Davis's  Straits,  Baffin's  Bay  and  at 
Melville  Peninsula.  The  plumage  of  the  present  species 
differs  but  little  from  that  of  L.  glaucus,  but  the  great  su- 
periority  of  the  latter  bird  in  point  of  size  is  sufficient  to 
distinguish  the  species. 

The  length  of  the  Wliite  Winged  Gull  is  about  2C  inches ;  the 
bill  measured  from  above  is  2i  inches  ;  tarsus  the  same  length ;  the 
middle  toe  2  inches  1  line.  Stretch  of  wing  50  inches.  Summer 
plumage,  with  tlie  mantle  pearl  grey.  Quills  fading  to  white,  their 
ehafls  pure  white,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  plumage.  Bill  com- 
pressed, deep  ;  the  upper  mandible  longer  than  the  under,  the  color 
wine-yelJow,  with  an  orange  colored  spot  near  the  tip  of  the  lower 
mandible.    Wings  equal  to  the  even  tail.    Feet  flesh  colored. 


; 


GLAUCOUS  GULL,  oe  BURGOMASTER. 

(Imtus  glaucus,  Brunk.  Orn.  Boreal.  No.  148.  Gmel.  Syst.  i.  p. 
600.  Lath.  Ind.  sp.  7.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  302.  Glaucous 
Gull,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  532.  Die  grosse  Scemeve,  oder  der 
Bur  germeister,  Naum.  Vog.  tab.  35.  [a  good  figure.]) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Mantle  bluish-grey  ;  quills  greyish-white,  white  at 
the  point;  shafts  white,  tinged  with  ash;  tarsus  3  inches;  tail 
extending  2  inches  beyond  the  wings  —  Summer  plumage,  head 
and  neck  pure  white.  Winter  dress,  with  the  head  and  neck  va- 
ried with  brown  streaks.     The  young  mottled,  and  dull  colored. 

This  large  species  is  almost  wholly  confined  to  the  hyper- 
boreal  regions,  where  it  indifferently  inhabits  both  continents. 
It  is  common  in  Russia,  Greenland,  and  in  all  the  arctic 
and  polar  seas.  In  Baffin's  Bay  and  the  adjoining  straits 
and  coasts  it  is  seen  in  considerable  numbers  during  the 
summer.  Its  winter  resorts  are  yet  unknown.  From  its 
great  rarity  in  the  United  States,  it  is  probable  that  it  may 
not  migrate  far  from  its  summer  residence,  as  there  can  be 


GLAUCOUS    GULL,    OR    BURGOMASTER. 


307 


no  reason  why  it  should  proceed  south  along  the  Pacific  in 
preference  to  the  Atlantic  coast.  It  is  almost  continually 
on  the  wing,  uttering  often  a  hoarse  cry  like  the  Raven.  It 
is  extremely  tyrannical,  greedy  and  voracious,  preying  not 
only  on  fish  and  small  birds,  but  also  on  carrion  ;  and  is  said 
likewise  to  attend  on  the  Walrus  to  feed  on  its  excrement. 
He  wrests  their  prey  from  the  weaker  birds,  is  usually  seen 
hovering  high  in  the  air,  or  seated  on  some  lofty  pinnacle  of 
ice,  from  whence,  having  fixed  his  eye  upon  some  favorite 
morsel,  he  darts  down  on  the  possessor,  which,  whether 
Fulmar,  Snow-Bird,  or  Kittiwake,  must  instantly  resign  the 
coveted  prize.  The  Auk,  as  well  as  the  young  Penguin, 
he  not  only  robs  but  often  wholly  devours.  Pressed  by 
hunger  they  sometimes  even  condescend  to  share  the  Crow- 
Berry  (Empetrum  migrum)  with  the  Ptarmigan,  and  it  is  usu- 
ally ,when  not  impelled  by  hunger,  a  rather  shy  and  inactive 
bird,  and  much  less  clamorous  than  others  of  the  genus. 
They  nest  upon  hollow  rocks,  laying  3  eggs  of  a  pale  pur- 
plish-grey, with  scattered  spots  of  umber-brown  and  subdued 
lavender  purple. 

The  length  of  the  Glaucous  Gull  extends  from  29  to  32  inches ; 
the  wing  19  inches;  the  bill  above  3  inches;  tarsus  of  the  same 
length  with  the  bill.  —  Winter  plumage,  with  the  head  and  neck 
Btreaked  and  mottled  with  very  pale  wood  brown.  The  young  are 
streaked  longitudinally  on  the  neck  with  pale  brown,  and  the  upper 
plumage  is  ^  arred  transversely  with  ash-grey  and  greyish-yellow ; 
the  tail  irregularly  spotted.  The  shafts  of  the  primaries  white,  and 
the  spots  on  the  webs  are  much  paler  than  in  the  young  of  L.  mati- 
nus  and  argentatus.  The  bill  is  horn  colored  at  the  base,  and  brown- 
ish-black  at  the  tip.    Feet  flesh  colored. 

Summer  plumage,  with  the  mantle  French-grey.  The  edge  of  the 
wing,  the  ends  of  the  first  primaries,  and  the  shafls  and  tips  of  the 
others,  with  all  the  rest  of  the  plumage,  white.  Bill  wine-yellow, 
marked  near  the  tip  of  the  lower  mandible  with  orpiment-orange. 
Irids  straw  yellow.  Legs  and  feet  livid  flesh  color.  The  bill  strong, 
with  an  angular  projection  near  the  point  beneath. 


vy 


306 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


•** 


BLACK-BACKED  GULL,  or  COBB. 


(Lams  marinus,  Liif.   Gmel.  Syst.  sp.  6.    Lath.   Ind.  ii.  sp.  6. 

Temm.   ii.  p.  7G0.     Bonap.   Synops.   No.  803.     Montagu,  Diet. 

»     Orn.  p.  02.  [ed.  alt.]     Le  Goiland  noir  manteau,  Buff.  OIb.  viii.  p. 

405.  t.  31.    PI.  Enlum.  990.    [old.]  and  266.  [the  young  of  the 

year.]     Black-Backed  Gull,  Lath.  Syn.  vi.  p.  37L    Penn.  Brit. 

'  Zool.  p.  140.  t.  L.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  527.  No.  451.  Lewin's  Brit. 
Birds,  vi.  t.  308.  LfUrus  argentatoides?  Bovxp.  Syn.  200.  Kich* 
ARD.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  417.  Wagel  Gull,  Lath.  Syn.  vi.  p.  375. 
[young.]) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Mantle  slate -black ;  quills  black  at  the  point,  tipped 
with  white ;  the  shafts  black ;  wings  scarcely  extending  beyond 
the  tail ;  tarsus  about  3  inches.  —  Summer  plumage,  with  the  head 
and  neck  pure  white.  Winter  dress,  with  the  head  and  neck 
varied  with  brownish  streaks.  The  young  mottled  and  stained 
with  dull  grey  and  brown. 

The  Saddle-Back,  or  Black-Backed  Gull,  is  a  general 
denizen  of  the  whole  northern  hemisphere,  and  extends  its 
residence  in  America  as  far  as  Paraguay.  At  the  approach 
of  winter  it  migrates  not  uncommonly  as  far  as  the  sea 
coasts  of  the  ]Vf  iddle  and  extreme  Southern  States.  If  Mr. 
Audubon  be  correct  in  considering  L.  argentatoides,  as  a 
state  of  imperfect  plumage  of  the  present  species,  it  breeds 
9S  far  north  as  the  dreary  coasts  of  JVIelville  Peninsula.  It 
is  also  found  in  Greenland,  Iceland,  Lapmark,  and  the 
White  Sea.  It  is  also  abundant  in  the  Orkneys  and  Hebri- 
des in  Scotland ;  but  is  a  winter  bird  of  passage  on  the 
coasts  of  Holland,  France  and  England.  It  rarely  visits 
the  interior  or  fresh  waters,  and  is  but  seldom  seen  as  far 
south  as  the  JVfediterranean. 

The  Black-Backed  Gull  feeds  ordinarily  upon  fish,  both 
dead  and  living,  as  well  as  on  fry  and  carrion,  sometimes 
also  on  shell-fish,  and  like  most  of  the  tribe  of  larger  Gulls, 


V. 


BLACK-BACKED   OVtiL,   OR   COBB. 


309 


it  is  extremely  ravenous  and  indiscriminate  in  its  appetites 
when  pressed  by  hunger.  It  watches  the  bait  of  the  fisher- 
man, and  oAen  robs  the  hook  of  its  game.  As  Mr.  Audu- 
bon justly  and  strongly  remarks,  it  is  as  much  the  tyrant  of 
the  sea  fowl  as  the  eagle  is  of  the  land  birds.  It  is  always 
on  the  watch  to  gratify  its  insatiable  appetite,  powerfully 
muscular  in  body  and  wing,  it  commands  without  control 
over  the  inhabitants  of  the  ocean  and  its  borders.  Its  flight 
is  majestic,  and  like  the  Raven  it  soars  in  wide  circles  to  a 
great  elevation ;  at  which  times  its  loud  and  raucous  cry 
or  laughing  bark  of  'cak  'cak  'cak  is  oflen  heard.  Like  the 
keen  eyed  Eagle  it  is  extremely  shy  and  wary,  most  diflicult 
of  access,  and  rarely  obtained  but  by  accident  or  stratagem. 
It  is  the  particular  enemy  of  the  graceful  Eider,  pouncing 
upon  and  devouring  its  young  on  every  occasion,  and  oflen 
kills  considerable  sized  Ducks.  In  pursuit  of  crabs  or  lol> 
aters  it  plunges  beneath  the  water;  has  the  ingenuity  to 
pick  up  a  shell-fish,  and  carrying  it  high  in  the  air  drops  it 
upon  a  rock  to  obtain  its  contents ;  it  catches  moles,  rats, 
young  hares ;  gives  chase  to  the  Willow  Grous,  and  sucks 
her  eggs,  or  devours  her  callow  brood  ;  it  is  even  so  indis> 
criminate  in  its  ravenous  and  cannibal  cravings  as  to  devour 
the  eggs  of  its  own  species.  In  short  it  has  no  mercy  on 
any  object  that  can  contribute  in  any  way  to  allay  the  cra- 
vings of  its  insatiable  hunger  and  delight  in  carnage. 
Though  cowardly  towards  man,  before  whom  it  abandons 
its  young,  its  sway  among  the  feathered  tribes  is  so  fierce, 
that  even  the  different  species  of  Lestris,  themselves  daring 
pirates,  give  way  at  its  approach. 

In  Europe  the  Saddle-Backed  Gull  breeds  as  far  south  as 
the  Lundy  Islands  in  the  Bristol  channel,  in  England.  Mr. 
Audubon,  who  lately  visited  the  dreary  coast  of  Labrador, 
found  them  breeding  there  on  rocks,  laying  about  3  eggs, 
large,  and  of  a  dirty  dull  brown,  all  over  spotted  and  splash- 


% 


810 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


ed  with  ilurk  brown.  The  young,  as  soon  as  hatched,  walk 
about  among  the  rocks,  patiently  wniting  the  return  of  their 
parents,  who  supply  them  amply  with  food  until  they  b^ 
come  able  to  fly,  afler  which,  as  among  the  true  rapacious 
birds,  they  are  driven  ofl"  and  abandoned  to  their  own 
resources. 

This  species,  like  others,  docs  not  attain  its  complete  plu- 
mage until  the  third  year,  and  Mr.  A.  is  of  opinion  that  L. 
argenlatoides  is  no  more  than  the  immature  bird.  He  was 
led  also  to  this  belief  by  seeing  both  birds,  as  described 
by  authors,  breeding  together.  The  eggs  and  young  are 
eatable,  the  latter  taken  before  they  are  able  to  fly,  are 
pickled  in  large  quantities,  and  used  in  Newfoundland  for 
winter  provision. 

The  length  of  the  Black-Backed  Gull  is  nearly  30  inches ;  the 
alar  stretch  5  feet  9  or  10  inches.  The  female  about  2  inches  smaller. 
—  Winter  plumage  of  the  old  birds;  with  the  summit  of  the  head, 
region  of  the  eyes,  occiput  and  nape,  white,  but  with  all  the  feathers 
longitudinally  streaked  with  pale  brown.  Front,  throat,  neck,  all 
the  lower  parts,  back  and  tail,  pure  white.  Top  of  t'le  back,  scapu* 
lars,  and  wings  deep  black,  appearing  clouded  with  bluish.  Quills 
towards  their  ends  black,  all  terminating  in  a  large  white  space. 
Bill  whitish-yellow,  the  angle  of  the  lower  mandible  bright  red. 
Orbits  red.  Iris  bright  yellow  marbled  with  brown.  Feet  of  a  dull 
white. 

In  the  summer  or  breeding  plumage,  the  summit  of  the  head,  re- 
gion of  the  eyes,  occiput  and  nape  are  perfectly  white  without  any 
brown  spot :  the  orbits  orange,  but  the  rest  of  the  plumage  as  in 
winter. 


JAGERS.     (Lestris,  liliger.) 

With  the  bill  moderate,  robust,  hard,  cylindric,  sharp-edged, 
compressed,  and  hooked  at  the  tip ;  upper  mandible  with  the  ridge 
and  tip  distinct,  and  covered   beyond   the  nostrils  by  a  cere 


thfl 


JAOER8. 


311 


th« 


lower  of  one  piece,  ihorter,  angular  beneath,  and  obtuae  at  the  ex- 
tremity Nostrils  towards  the  point  of  the  bill ;  lateral,  oblique, 
narrow,  pervious,  closed  behind  by  the  cere.  Tongue  channelled, 
•oute,  slightly  cleil  at  the  cn<i.  Feet  slcndrr  ;  naked  space  above 
the  knee  moderate ;  tarsus  o(|iial  to  the  middle  toe,  scaly  behind ; 
webs  of  the  feet  entire  ;  latenil  ti)e8  edged  exteriorly  with  a  narrow 
membrane;  hind  too  vc-ry  small,  placed  almost  on  a  level  with  the 
anterior,  resting  on  the  ground  :  nails  strong,  much  curved  and  very 
acute.  Wings  moderate,  acute  ;  Ist  primary  longest.  Tail  slightly 
rounded,  consisting  of  12  feathers,  the  two  middle  ones  very  long. 

The  sexes  alike  in  plumage  :  the  young  differing  from  the  adult, 
and  changing  repeatedly.  They  moult  twice  in  the  year  without 
changing  their  colors,  which  arc  generally  dark  brown,  with  white 
or  light  tints  on  the  neck  and  under  surface  of  the  body.  The  young 
more  spotted  than  the  old,  and  with  the  middle  tail  feathers  scarcely 
longer  than  the  others.  The  adult  is  distinguished  by  the  presence 
of  these  two  long  feathers.  The  head  and  eyes  are  large,  and  the 
neck  rather  stout. 

These  are  bold  and  predacious  birds,  excepting  in  the  breed- 
ing season,  and  during  migration  almost  constantly  out  at  sea. 
Their  flight  is  high,  soaring  and  majestic,  describing  circles  round 
the  objects  in  which  they  are  in  quest,  at  times  they  are  said  to  ap- 
pear as  if  tumbling  over,  and  then  fly  in  short  curves.  They  are 
usually  seen  only  in  pairs,  are  voracious  and  parasitic,  seizing  their 
prey  from  other  birds,  particularly  from  the  Terns  and  Gulls,  and 
Bometimes  laying  contribution  even  on  the  gigantic  and  cowardly 
Albatross ;  they  thus  attack  their  providers  on  the  wing  and 
cause  them  to  drop  or  disgorge  tiieir  prey,  which  they  then 
seize  before  it  arrives  at  the  water.  They  also  often  provide 
for  themselves,  feeding  on  floating  objects,  as  they  never  dive,  and 
lometimes  live  on  the  flesh  of  cetaceous  animals,  shell-flsh,  molus- 
ca,  eggs,  and  young  birds.  They  inhabit  the  Antarctic  as  well  as 
the  Arctic  seas,  migrating  only  short  distances  towards  the  warmer 
climates  in  the  severity  of  winter ;  they  then  sometimes  seek  out 
the  shelter  of  bays  and  inlets,  and  appear  less  active  and  courageous 
than  ordinary.  They  congregate  in  numbers  to  breed  in  the  cold 
regions  which  they  prefer,  nesting  in  tufts  of  grass,  on  rocks,  or 
merely  on  the  sands.  The  eggs  are  1  or  2.  They  show  great  cour- 
age in  defence  of  their  young,  attacking  indifferently  every  thing 
which  approaches  their  eyries. 


312 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


The  genus  consists  at  present  of  about  6  species,  all  found  in  the 
American  continent,  and  most  of  them  common  to  the  coldest  regions 
of  both  hemispheres.  They  were  formerly  united  with  the  Gulls, 
of  which  they  have  the  general  port,  and  are  equally  related  to  the 
Petrels  and  Albatross ;  and  in  their  habits  bear  some  distant  analogy 
to  the  Eagles. 


SKUA  GULL. 

(Lestris  catarractes,  Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  792.  Bonap.  Synops. 
No.  304.  Larus  catarractes,  Gmel.  Lath.  Ind.  sp.  12.  Skua 
Gull,  Lath.  Syn.  vi.  p.  385.  Penn.  Brit.  Zool.  p.  140.  t.  L.  6. 
Arct,  Zool.  No.  4G0.     Catharacta  Skua,  Brunnich,  No.  125.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  short,  very  stout,  much  curved  ;  middle  or  long 
tail  feathers  equally  broad  throughout;  tarsus  about  2|  inches 
long,  moderately  rough  with  scales.  —  Mult  dark  brown,  neck  and 
beneath  greyish-rufous.  Young  wholly  brownish,  varied  with 
ferruginous  tints. 

This  daring  Yager,  or  feathered  pirate  of  the  ocean 
has  spread  its  dominion  to  the  extremes  of  both  hemi- 
spheres, dwelling  chiefly  on  the  hyperboreal  or  antarctic 
seas.  It  is  found  in  the  Hebrides,  Orkney,  Shetland,  and 
Faroe  Islands,  as  well  as  in  Norway  and  Iceland.  In  Amer- 
ica, it  is  found  in  the  high  northern  regions ;  then  again  in 
many  parts  of  the  Pacific,  at  Port  Egmont  in  the  Falkland 
Islands,  (hence  called  Port  Egmont  Hens.)  In  the  latter 
end  of  December,  their  breeding  season  in  that  hemisphere, 
at  Christmas  Sound  in  Terra  del  Fuego,  they  were  found 
in  great  plenty,  making  their  nests  in  the  dry  grass.  They 
are  also  seen  to  the  east  of  New  Zealand.  Such  is  the 
extensive  geographic  range  of  this  species,  according  to 
Pennant  and  others,  at  the  same  time,  we  may  fairly  doubt 
the  identity  of  the  iiorthern  and  southern  birds,  since  they 
are  but  rarely  seen  on  their  passage  any  great  distance 


id  in  the 
it  regions 
e  Gulls, 
ed  to  the 
t  analogy 


.  Synops. 
2.  Skua 
.  t.  L.  6. 

125.) 

lie  or  long 
2|  inches 
,  neck  and 
ried   with 


le  ocean 
th  hemi- 
antarctic 
and,  and 
[n  Amer- 

again  in 
Falkland 
the  latter 
nisphere, 
sre  found 
s.  They 
ch  is  the 
ording  to 
rly  doubt 
ince  they 

distance 


SKUA    GULL. 


313 


towards  the  south.  Off  the  coast  of  Newfoundland,  proba- 
bly this  species  is  seen  in  June,  widely  exploring  the 
ocean,  and  in  the  depth  of  winter,  they  migrate  into  the 
bays -along  the  coast  of  Massachusetts,  but  I  believe  they 
are  nearly  unknown  as  far  south  as  the  coast  of  New 
Jersey.  As  the  supposed  identic  species  of  the  two  hemi- 
spheres appear  therefore  never  to  meet  in  their  range  to 
warmer  countries,  proceeding  rarely,  if  ever,  into  the  trop- 
ics, we  may  almost  rest  satisfied  that,  however  closely  allied, 
they  are  still  of  distinct  races,  originating  from  different 
creative  points  of  the  globe. 

The  Cataract  Yager,  so  called  by  Linnaeus  from  the  ra- 
pidity and  violence  with  which  it  darts  down  on  its  prey,  is 
a  very  bold  and  voracious  species.     Like  the  Eagle  it  some- 
times pounces  upon   the  domestic  flocks,  and  tearing  up 
a  lamb,  carries  the   mangled  pieces  to  feed  its  craving 
brood.     In  the  rocky  island  of  Foula,  however,  better  sup- 
plied with  its  ordinary  fare  from  the  deep,  it  even  refrains 
from  injuring  the  poultry,  and  in  its  enmity  to  the  Eagle, 
defends  the  flocks  from  its  attacks;  so  different,  according 
to  circumstances  are  the  habits  and  propensities  of  animals. 
It  however  oflen  preys  on  the  small  Gulls  and  other  birds 
v;ith  all  the  rapacity  of  a  Hawk,  and  for  which  its  powerful 
claws  seem  to  indicate  both  the  ability  and  instinctive  incli- 
nation.    It  is  often,  at  the  same  time,  satisfied  with  seizing 
on  the  fish,  which  its  accidental  provider  easily  disgorges 
whenever  alarmed.     In  defence  of  its  young  its  temerity 
scarcely  knows  any  bound,  it  will  at  such  times  often  attack 
a  whole  company  of  men,  should  they  disturb  it,  or  molest 
its  cherished  brood.     After  the  breeding  season,  old  and 
young  take  to  the  sea,  in  small  companies  or  pairs,  and 
venture,  like  the  Albatross,  boldly  and  securely  over  the 
wide  ocean.     Off  the  stormy  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  Cape 
Horn,  as  in  the  middle  of  the  vast  Atlantic,  these  black 
27 


.  ; 


314 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


and  piratical  birds,  like  weathered  mariners^  are  seen  to 
levy  their  contributions  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  deep, 
soaring  on  high  above  the  mountain  wave,  and  flying  out 
in  easy  circling  tours  like  so  many  boding  Ravens,  occar 
sionally  reconnoitering  at  a  distance  the  sailing  vessel  that 
accidentally  ventures  across  their  wide  and  desolate  domain. 
In  the  southern  hemisphere,  bold  and  predaceous  by  priva- 
tion, the  Skua  Jager  is  frequently  seen  to  attack  the  gigan- 
tic Albatross,  beating  it  with  violence  while  on  the  wing,  and 
who  generally  escapes  from  the  daring  free-booter  alone  by 
settling  down  into  the  water.  Still  the  Jager  himself  suc- 
cumbs to  the  rage  and  violence  of  the  elements,  and  at  the 
approach,  or  during  the  continuance  of  the  tempest,  he  con- 
descends to  seek  out  the  shelter  of  the  bay  or  the  neighbor- 
ing coast.  They  are  also  not  unfrequently  associated  with 
the  Common  Tern,  and  have  a  somewhat  similar  cry. 

The  Skua,  like  the  larger  Gulls,  commonly  feeds  on  fish 
and  moUusca,  as  well  as  on  carrion  and  cetaceous  animals, 
and  seeking  out  the  nests  of  other  marine  birds,  he  robs 
them  frequently  of  their  eggs.  They  nest  themselves  in  the 
remote  and  cold  regions,  associating  in  large  bands,  on  the 
summits  of  mountains,  or  in  the  herbage  and  heath  con- 
tiguous to  the  coast.  They  lay  3  or  4  very  pointed  olivace- 
ous eggs,  sprinkled  with  large  brown  spots. 

The  length  of  the  Cataract  is  about  2  feet  or  under ;  the  alar 
stretch  4J^  feet.  Head  and  region  of  the  eyes  dark  brown.  Neck 
and  all  the  lower  parts  reddish-grey,  tinged  with  pale  brown.  Back 
and  scapulars  dull  rufous,  the  lateral  borders  of  the  feathers  dark 
brown.  Wing  coverts,  secondaries,  and  tail  feathers  brown.  Quills 
white  for  half  their  length,  the  remaining  part  dark  brown ;  shafts  of 
the  quills  and  of  the  tail  feathers  white.  Feet,  nails,  and  bill  deep 
black,  the  latter  brown  at  its  base.  Iris  brown.  The  long  tail 
feathers  extend  to  3,  4,  or  5  inches. 


■*'&;',  n  «pi  '.^v*»*'V •■**''■ 


\ 


<iw*i 


:.N' 


iffli    ■■»    ' 


i,     «   ^    'M 


■i-K 


ritf',\. 


' •mmmimimtiiM 


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i.i. 


POMARINE   JAOER. 


315 


«t»  J^^ 

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l^t  mi 

J^i    '!  '.i 

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si  't.iti 

•r '••'■it-' 

'-^r. 


.♦'fd-%6i' 


POMARINE  JAGER. 


(Lestris  pomarijia,  Temm.  ii.  p.  793.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  305. 
Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  429.  and  Append.  Parry's  2d.  Voy.  p. 
361.  No.  26.  Sab.  First  Voy.  Do.  p.  ccvi.  p.  22.  Esquimaux 
Keask,  Hudson's  Bay  Residents.  Le  Stercaraire  rayi,  Briss. 
Orn.  vi.  p.  152.  No.  2.  tab.  13.  fig.  2.  [the  young  of  the  year.]  also 
Meyer,  tab.  20.  (Felsen  Mere.)  Larvs  parasiticus,  Meyer,  Yog. 
Deut.  fol.  V.  2.  heft.  21.  [a  good  figure.]     Apdubon,  ic.  ined.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  short,  much  curved ;  long  tail  feathers  rounded 
at  the  end,  and  of  the  same  breadth  throughout ;  tarsus  little  more 
than  2  inches  long,  behind  covered  with  strong  asperities.  —  Mult 
dark  brown,  beneath  white ;  feathers  of  the  upper  part  of  the 
neck  long,  slender,  and  pointed,  glossy  yellow.  Young  wholly 
brownish,  varied  with  rufous. 

This  species,  like  most  of  the  others,  chiefly  inhabits  the 
Arctic  seas  of  both  continents,  from  whence  they  migrate 
short  distances  in  winter,  and  are  then  seen  in  Sweden 
and  Norway,  and  perhaps  also  in  the  Orkneys  and  the  west 
of  Scotland ;  the  old  very  rarely  visit  the  banks  of  the  Rhine 
and  the  coasts  of  the  ocean  ;  the  young  are  more  given  to 
wandering,  and  are  sometimes  even  seen  upon  the  lakes  of 
Switzerland  and  Germany.  According  to  Richardson  the 
Pomarine  Yager  is  seen  in  the  Arctic  seas  of  America  and 
the  northern  outlets  of  Hudson's  Bay.  Mr.  Audubon  ob- 
tained specimens  on  the  coast  of  Labrador.  It  subsists  on 
putrid  and  other  animal  substances  thrown  up  by  the  sea, 
and  also  on  fish  and  other  matters  which  the  Gulls  disgorge 
when  pursued  by  it ;  it  also  devours  the  eggs  of  sea  birds. 
It  goes  more  to  sea  in  winter,  and  also  towards  the  south, 
arriving  at  Hudson's  Bay  in  May,  coming  in  from  seaward. 
It  is  rare  and  accidental  on  the  coast  of  the  United  States. 

The  Pomarine  Yager  breeds  in  elevated  spots  in  the 


816 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


'1/ 


■m 


\ 


marshes,  or  upon  rocks,  making  a  coarsely  interlaced  nest  of 
the  surrounding  moss  and  herbage,  laying  2  or  3  very 
pointed  eggs  of  a  greyish-olive,  marked  with  a  small  number 
of  blackish  spots. 

Length  (excluding  the  central  tail  feathers)  18  inches;  long  tail 
feathers  9^  inches ;  wing  15  inches ;  bill  fr«')in  above  1  inch  7  lines ; 
tarsus  about  3  inches.  —  Summer  plumage  (male ;)  with  the  head, 
neck,  under  eye-lid,  a  patch  at  the  corner  of  the  mouth,  back,  wings 
and  tail,  brownish-black ;  flanks  and  sides  of  the  breast  blotched 
with  the  same.  Shafts  of  the  quill  and  tail  feathers  white,  except  at 
their  tips.  Neck  straw  yellow.  Auriculars,  chin,  throat,  breast  and 
belly  white.  Vent  and  under  tail  coverts  blackish-brown.  Bill  dark 
brown,  tipped  with  black.  Legs  and  feet  black ;  a  broad  band  of 
pale  lead  color  on  the  leg  below  the  knee.*  Tail  slightly  rounded. 
Tarsus  covered  posteriorly  by  rough  angular  scales,  resembling  those 
of  some  pine  cones ;  anteriorly  the  lower  two  thirds  are  acute,  and 
covered  by  strong  keeled  scales,  very  different  from  those  of  L.  par- 
asitica, in  which  the  anterior  scales  resemble  those  of  a  Gull. 

In  the  adult  bird  of  Temminck,  the  neck  is  of  a  golden  yellow, 
and  there  is  upon  the  breast  a  wide  collar  formed  of  brown  spots. 
In  birds  of  middle  age,  according  to  the  aaaxe  author,  the  whole  body 
is  of  a  dark  brown ;  the  long  neck  feathers  yellowish-brown  ;  the  2 
long  tail  feathers  shorter  than  in  the  adult ;  the  bill  and  feet  as  in 
the  adults,  (nude  and  female.)      I^-  =      •' ':-.  >•> 

The  young  of  the  year,  are  in  general  dull  or  blackish-brown,  varied 
with  rufous  edgings  and  crescents ;  transverse  zig-zags  of  the  same 
on  the  belly  and  flanks.  Tail  coverts  above  and  below  striped  with 
wide  blackish  and  rufous  bands.  Base  of  the  bill  greenish-blue,  the 
point  black.  Feet  bluish-ash,  the  base  of  the  toes  and  webs  white, 
the  rest  black.  Hind  nail  white.  The  long  tail  feathers  not  exceed* 
Ing  the  rest  more  than  half  an  inch. 


*  Given  for  the  flrat  time  in  Audubon's  excellent  figure,  whic^  I  have  bmi), 
Does  this  character  really  e^ist  ip  the  European  specimens  f 


...   X  ■      1 

r  'fil  ■  i      ^i::    I.- 


K-i,? 


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^\ 


111 


UMWWIIIk 


ARCTIC   J  ACER.  *^* 


317 


,1  i  ^.  M 


"  ARCTIC  JAGER. 

(Lesttis  parasitica,  Temm.  ii.  p.  79C?  Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p. 
430.  L.  Buffonii,  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  306?  The  Arctic  Bird, 
Edwards,  pi.  148?) 

Sp.  Gharact.  —  Bill  about  1^  inches  measured  from  the  front, 
straight  and  notched ;  middle  tail  feathers  gradually  terminating 
in  long,  slender,  sub-linear,  acute  points ;  tarsus  1^  inches  long, 
slightly  rough,  yellowish. — Mult  hrown,  neck  and  breast  straw 
yellow,  below  white.     Young  wholly  brownish. 

This  species  inhabits  the  Arctic  sea  coasts  of  America 
and  Europe  in  the  summer,  migrating  to  more  temperate 
parts  in  winter,  particularly  the  young,  which  are  sometimes 
seen  on  the  coast  of  the  United  States.  They  abound  in 
the  remote  and  desolate  region  of  Melville  Peninsula,  the 
North  Georgian  Islands,  Baffin's  Bay,  and  Spitzbergen.  In 
its  habits  and  manners  it  resembles  the  preceding  species. 

The  length  of  this  kind  is  about  15  inches,  (excluding  the  long 
central  tail  feathers ;)  these  long  feathers  are  12  inches  3  lines ;  bill 
from  above,  1  inch  1  or  2  lines  ;  tarsus  1^  inches.  Mult,  with  the 
crown,  nape,  quills  and  tail,  pitch  black.  Back,  scapulars,  and  lesser 
wing  coverts,  blaokish-brown,  with  a  tinge  of  grey.  Shafls  of  the 
tail  and  quills  whitish,  except  on  their  tips.  Head  beneath  the  level 
of  the  eye,  neck  above  and  below,  and  breast,  straw  yellow.  Ante- 
rior part  of  the  belly  whitish ;  posterior  parts,  flanks  and  under  tail 
coverts  brownish-grey.  Interior  of  the  wing  blackish-grey.  Bill 
livid;  its  tip,  the  knee  joints  and  feet,  blackish.  Tarsus  largely 
blotched  with  yellow.  Wings  longer  than  the  lateral  tail  feathers. 
The  long  tail  feathers  project  half  a  foot  beyond  the  others.  Tarsus 
slender,  reticulated  behind  with  minute,  conical,  and  rather  t^cute 
scales. 


27^ 


w 


318 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


I 


BROAD-BILLED  JAGER. 

(Lestris  cepphus.  Nobis.  Stercotariua  cepphus,  Leach.  Cat.  Musemn. 
Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  4S2.  [in  note.]  Leatris  parasitica? 
BoNAP.  SynopB.  No.  307.  Arctic  Gull,  Lath.  Die  Polnunoe, 
Lepech.  Reise,  Th.  3.  S.  224.  tab.  11.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  about  1|  inches  long,  straight,  broad  at  base, 
entire ;  middle  tail  feathers  very  long,  abruptly  narrowing  towards 
the  extremity,  being  slender  and  acute  at  point ;  tarsus  1}  inches 
long,  with  the  protuberances  obsolete.  —  Adult,  blackish-brown, 
neck  and  beneath  white,  the  former  tinged  with  yellow.  The 
young  wholly  brownish. 

This  species,  like  the  former,  inhabits  the  Arctic  seas, 
and  hyperborean  regions,  migrating  short  distances,  and 
chiefly  out  seaward,  towards  milder  climates  in  the  course 
of  the  winter.  It  resides  indifferently  both  in  America  and 
Arctic  Europe.  The  young  are  sometimes^  though  very 
rarely,  seen  near  the  United  States.  Dr.  Leach's  specimens 
were  killed  in  Hecla  Bay,  Spitzbergen,  by  Sir  Edward 
Parry's  party,  where  the  species  was  abundant. 

Total  length  9  inches ;  excluding  the  central  tail  feathers  16  inches ; 
these  long  feathers  9  inches ;  wing  13  inches ;  length  of  the  bill 
from  above,  1  inch  2  lines,  the  bill  to  the  rictus  2  inches ;  the  tarsus 
1  inch  8  lines  ;  the  middle  toe  1  inch  3  lines.  — Adult,  with  the  head 
above  and  before  the  eye,  the  whole  dorsal  plumage,  wings  and  tail, 
nearly  uniform  blackish-grey.  The  quills  and  end  of  the  tail  nearly 
black,  their  shafls  white.  Neck  above  and  below,  as  well  as  the 
throat,  straw-yellow.  Breast,  a  patch  under  the  wings,  and  under 
tail  coverts,  dark  greenish-grey.  Belly  and  sides  white.  Bill  horn 
color  above ;  its  tip,  the  legs,  and  feet  black :  transverse  diameter  of 
th'  bill  in  front  7  lines.  The  middle  tail  feathers  are  an  inch  and  a 
quarter  wide  at  the  base,  retaining  most  of  their  breadth  until  they 
pass  the  rest  of  the  tail  feathers,  whence  they  suddenly  and  evenly 
taper  to  an  acute  point  that  projects  3  inches  beyond  the  adjoining 
feathers.  Tarsus  stout,  smooth  behind ;  the  scales  k:omewhat  eleva- 
ted, though  not  pointed,  and  larger  and  farther  apart  than  in  the 
preceding  species. 


.'it^rf-  :■'■-  ill'  '.■i-':,M^-^.['{ 


'^•. 


RICHARDSON'S  JAGER. 

(Lestris  Richardsonii,  Swainson.  Richard,   and  Swains.   North, 

Zool.  ii.  p.  433.  pi.  73.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  The  whole  plumage  brown ;  the  2  middle  tail  feath- 
ers abruptly  acuminated :  tarsus  black,  22  lines  long.  —  Young 
unknown. 

This  species,  according  to  Dr.  Richardson,  breeds  in  con- 
siderable numbers  in  the  Barren  Grounds,  at  a  distance  from 
the  coast,  in  the  latitude  of  about  65°.  It  feeds  on  shelly 
moUusca,  which  abound  in  the  small  lakes  of  the  fur  coun- 
tries ;  and  it  harasses  the  Gulls  in  the  same  way  with  others 
of  the  genus.  This  species  is  occasionally  seen  in  winter, 
in  the  inland  bays  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  flying  about  in 
pairs,  or  sitting  on  the  water. 

Total  length  22  inches  8  lines  ;  exclusive  of  the  central  tail  feath- 
ers 19 :  these  long  feathers  9  inches ;  the  wing  13^  inches ;  the  bill 
from  above,  1  inch  1  line,  from  the  rictus  1  inch  10  lines ;  the  tarsus 
also  1  inch  and  10  lines ;  the  middle  toe  1  inch  5  lines.  —  Mult, 
with  the  upper  plumage  deep  blackish-brown,  the  back  of  the  neck 


320 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


paler.  Quills  and  tail  pitch-black.  The  shafts  of  the  primaries  and  of 
the  central  tail  feathers  white  to  near  the  tips.  Beneath  hair-brown, 
mixed  on  the  ears  and  sides  of  the  neck  with  yellowish-brown.  Un- 
der tail  coverts  darker.  Axillaries  and  inner  wing  coverts  black. 
Interior  of  the  quills  greyish-brown,  paler  than  any  other  part  of  the 
plumage.  Bill  greenish-black,  towards  the  base  cylindrical,  being 
very  slightly  higher  than  broad  ;  culmen  rounded  ;  upper  mandible 
towards  the  end  rather  hooked,  and  destitute  of  a  distinct  notch. 
Legs  and  feet  of  a  shining  velvet  black.  Wings  an  inch  longer 
than  the  la'  ral  tail  feathers ;  the  primaries  acute,  the  secondaries 
truncated.  Thighs  bare  for  8  lines.  The  tarsi  protected  anteriorly 
by  strong  falciform  or  crescent-shaped  scales ;  reticulated  behind,  as 
well  as  the  knee  and  tarsal  joints.  The  soles  of  the  feet  and  sides 
of  the  toes  and  webs  covered  with  small  thick  scales,  which  have 
each  a  raised  central  ridge,  or  a  sharp  point. 


SWALLOW-PETRELS.     (Thalassidroma,  Vigors.) 

In  tliese  small  birds  of  the  ocean,  the  bill  is  shorter  than  the 
head,  slender,  attenuated,  much  compressed,  acute,  and  hooked  at 
the  point ;  upper  mandible  slightly  seamed  on  each  side ;  the  lower 
shorter.  Nostrils  contained  in  a  single  tube  carried  out  on  the 
top  of  the  bill.  Feet  rather  long  and  slender;  naked  space  above 
the  knee  extensive  :  tarsus  longer  than  the  middle  toe,  smooth ; 
middle  toe  nearly  equal  with  the  outer,  the  inner  shortest :  webs  of 
the  toes  small  and  somewhat  indented  :  the  hind  toe  merely  a  slen- 
der, acute  nail.  Wings  long  and  acuminated :  the  1st  primary 
shorter  than  the  3d ;  the  2d  longest.  Tail  of  12  feathers,  emarginate 
or  forked.    '■■  '■-  -'  ''■'-"^--  ■■■■  \-  '^^  -•   ■■:-     ■'     .■■■   i---:^    .  '    ^^     •■■'. 

The  sexes  alike  in  plumage ;  and  the  young  scarcely  differ  from 
the  adult  in  this  respect.  They  are  said  to  moult  twice  in  the  year 
without  changing  their  colors ;  which  are  blackish,  with  more  or 
less  of  white,  usually  on  the  rump.  They  are  the  smallest  of  web- 
footed  birds.       i   >  ■'-'  =»    r;  ■'       • 

These  are  oceanic  birds,  wandering  out  far  from  the  land  nearly  at 
all  seasons  of  the  year,  and  are  found  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
Their  flight  is  rapid,  like  that  of  the  swallows,  which  they  so  much 
resemble  in  general  appearance ;  they  fly  low,  skimming  the  water, 


iilMMn(MH<Mi 


SWALLOW    PETRELS. 


321 


and  attentively  scannings  its  surface  for  their  diminutive  prey  of 
marine  insects  and  small  mollusca.  They  venture  out  at  all  timei 
of  the  day  in  quest  of  their  accidental  fare,  and  follow  the  wakes  of 
vessels  partly  for  the  aqi^vM  productions  w**'  .  ore  thus  whirled  to 
the  surfice,  and  not  less  for  the  fat  and  other  aaimal  matters  which 
are  occasionally  ejected  frQgi  i^  decks.  In  storro^  weather  they 
easily  find  shelter  froin  the  blast  by  vkimining  throu||..  *he  valleys 
of  the  mountain  waven.  Tbey  f>xe  ofl^ii  seen  tripping  upon  the 
surface  of  the  w^ter,  wbile  eagerly  engaged  in  seizing  their  food, 
balancing  themselves  with  ^iiwMUr  Ughtqess,  by  gently  flapping  an<I 
fanning  their  expanded  wings.  A^  inch  times  they  often  dip  their 
heads  beneath  the  water,  and  thpugh  they  sw;in)  ai^d  rest  upon  that 
element  at  night  and  ip  fin^  wei^ther,  they  aire  incapable  of  diving. 
Their  voice  is  low,  guttnral,  ^n^  spinewb^t  Qhattering,  particularly  at 
night  and  during  calm  weaker.  Tb?^  ^\iteed  in  society  near  the  sea, 
selecting  for  their  nests  the  holes  and  cavities  of  rocks,  which  they 
sometimes  burrow  out  for  themselves,  but  often  make  upe  of  the 
deserted  resorts  of  other  hiding  animals  ;  the  eggs  are  1  or  3,  and 
they  feed  their  young  by  disgorging  food ;  at  these  times,  and  on 
other  occasions,  they  are  observed  to  hide  thems?lves  by  day,  and 
sally  out  only  towards  twilight  in  pursuit  of  their  prey.  They  are, 
however,  by  no  means  nocturnal  when  at  sea,  and  are  seen  alike  in 
fair  or  foul  weather,  but  scarcely  follow  vessels  but  in  breezes,  as 
their  own  ordinary  resources  for  obtaining  food  are  equally  produc* 
tive  in  calm  weather. 

A  small  and  natural  genus,  consisting  of  about  5  nearly  allied 
species. 


',«.'■,;*?■  5 


*  -    i  ^ . 


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im 


<M.ILA.   >.J  11.I.1J*.     Mi<^ 


^mi^ 


WILSON'S  STORMY  PETREL. 

(Thalassidroma  Wilsonii,  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  308.  Stormy  Petrel, 
(ProcellartM  pelagiea,)  Wils»..,,  vii.  p.  90.  pi.  GO.  fig.  6.  Procel- 
laria  JVilsonii,  Bonap.  Journ.  Acad.  Na*..  Sc.  Philad.  vi.  p.  231.  pi, 
9.  [lower  figure.]     Phil,  Museum,  No.  3034.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Deep  sooty  black  ;  upper  tail  coverts  wholly  white ; 
tail  nearly  even,  the  wings  extending  a  little  beyond  its  extremity ; 
tube  of  the  nostrils  recurved ;  tarsus  Ij^  inches  long ;  a  yellow 
spot  on  thti  webs  of  the  toes.  "  ..../■• 

This  ominous  harbinger  of  the  deep  is  seen  nearly 
throughout  the  whole  expanse  of  the  Atlantic,  from  New- 
foundland to  the  tropical  parts  of  America,  whence  it 
wanders  even  to  Africa  and  the  coasts  of  Spain.  From  the 
ignorance  and  superstition  of  mariners,  an  unfavorab'e 
prejudice  has  long  been  entertained  against  these  adven- 
turous and  harmless  wanderers,  and  as  sinister  messengers 
of  the  storm,  in  which  they  are  often  involved  with  the 
vessel  they  follow,  they  have  been  very  unjustly  stigmatized 


mmn^mttammmmmm 


Wilson's  stormy  petrel. 


339 


•.* 


by  the  name  of  Stormy  Petrels,  Devil's  Birds,  and  Mother 
Carey's  Chickens.  At  nearly  all  seasons  of  the  year  these 
Swallow-Petrels,  in  small  flocks  are  seen  wandering  almost 
alone,  over  the  wide  waste  of  the  ocean. 

On  the  edge  of  soundings,  as  the  vessel  loses  sight  of  the 
distant  headland,  and  launches  into  the  deptliH  of  the  un- 
bounded and  fearful  abyss  of  waters,  flocks  of  these  dark, 
swift  flying,  and  ominous  birds  begin  to  shoot  around  the 
vessel,  and  Anally  take  their  station  in  her  foaming  wake. 
In  this  situation,  as  humble  dependents,  they  follow  for 
their  pittance  of  fare,  constantly  and  keenly  watching  the 
agitated  surge  for  floating  moUusca,  and  are  extremely  grati- 
fled  with  any  kind  of  fat  animal  matter  thrown  overboard, 
which  they  invariably  discover,  however  small  the  morsel, 
or  mountainous  and  foaming  the  raging  wave  on  which  it 
may  happen  to  float.  On  making  such  discovery  they  sud- 
denly stop  in  their  airy  and  swallow-like  flight,  and  whirl 
instantly  down  to  the  water.  Sometimes  nine  or  ten  thus 
crowd  together  like  a  flock  of  chickens  scrambling  for  the 
same  morsel,  at  the  same  tire  pattering  on  the  water  with 
their  feet,  as  if  walking  on  the  surface,  they  balance  them- 
selves with  gently  fluttering  and  outspread  wings,  and  often 
dip  down  their  heads  to  collect  the  sinking  object  in  pursuit. 
On  other  occasions,  as  if  seeking  relief  from  their  almost 
perpetual  exercise  of  flight,  they  jerk  and  hop  widely  over 
the  water,  rebounding  as  their  feet  touch  the  surface,  with 
great  agility  and  alertness. 

There  is  something  cheerful  and  amusing  in  the  sight  of 
these  little  voyaging  flocks,  steadily  following  after  the 
vessel,  so  light  and  unconcerned,  across  the  dreary  ocean. 
During  a  gale  it  is  truly  interesting  to  witness  their  intre- 
pidity and  address.  Unapalled  by  the  storm  that  strikes  terror 
into  the  breast  of  the  mariner,  they  are  seen  coursing  wildly 
and  rapidly  over  the  waves,  descending  their  sides,  then 


334 


»»«'WEB-P00T1!D   BtltDi.    '^ 


mounting  with  the  breaking  surge  which  threatens  to  bunt 
over  their  heads,  sweeping  through  the  hollow  waves  as  in  a 
sheltered  valley,  and  again  mounting  with  the  rising  billow, 
it  trips  and  jerks  sportively  and  securely  on  the  surface  of 
the  roughest  sea,  defying  the  horrors  of  the  storm,  and  like 
some  magic  being  seems  to  take  delight  in  braving  over- 
whelming dangers.  At  other  times  we  see  these  atrial 
mariners  playfully  coursing  from  side  to  side  in  the  wake  of 
the  ship,  making  excursions  far  and  wide  on  every  sMe, 
now  in  advance,  then  far  behind,  returning  again  to  the 
vessel,  as  if  she  were  stationary,  though  moving  at  the  most 
rapid  rate.  A  little  after  dark  they  generally  cease  their 
arduous  course,  and  take  their  interrupted  rest  upon  the 
water,  arriving  in  the  wake  of  the  vessel  they  had  left,  as  I 
have  observed,  by  about  9  or  10  o'clock  of  the  following 
morning.  In  this  way  we  were  followed  by  the  same  flock 
of  birds  to  the  s'jundings  of  the  Azores,  and  until  we  came 
in  sight  of  the  Isle  of  Flores. 

According  to  Buifon  the  Petrel  acquires  its  name  from  the 
apostle  Peter,  who  is  also  said  to  have  walked  upon  the  water. 
At  times  we  hear  from  these  otherwise  silent  birds  by  day,  a 
low  w^et,  weet,  and  in  their  craving  anxiety,  apparently  to 
obtain  something  from  us,  they  utter  a  low  twittering  'pe-&p, 
or  chirp.  In  the  night,  when  disturbed  by  the  passage  of 
the  vessel,  they  rise  in  a  low,  vague  and  hurried  flight  from 
the  water,  and  utter  a  singular  guttural  chattering,  like 
kuk  kuk  k'k,  k'k,  or  something  similar,  ending  usually  in  a 
sort  of  low  twitter  like  that  of  a  Swallow. 

These  Petrels  are  said  to  breed  in  great  numbers  on  the 
rocky  shores  of  the  Bahama  and  the  Bermuda  islands,  and 
along  some  parts  of  the  coast  of  East  Florida,  and  Cuba. 
Mr.  Audubon  informs  me  that  they  also  breed  in  large 
flocks  on  the  mud  and  sand  islands  ofl*  Cape  Sable,  in 
Nova  Scotia,  burrowing  downwards  from  the  surface  to  the 


WILSON  8   STORMY   PETREL. 


325 


depth  of  a  foot  or  more.  They  also  commonly  employ  the 
holes  and  cavities  of  rocks  near  the  sea  for  this  purpose. 
The  eggs,  according  to  Mr.  Audubon,  are  3,  whitu  and 
translucent.  After  the  period  of  incubation  they  return  to 
feed  their  young  only  during  the  night,  with  the  oily  food 
which  they  raise  from  their  stomachs.  At  these  times  they 
are  heard  through  most  part  of  the  night,  making  a  con- 
tinued cluttering  sound  like  frogs.  In  June  and  July,  or 
abbut  the  time  that  they  breed,  they  are  still  seen  out  at  sea 
for  scores  of  leagues  from  the  land,  the  swiftness  of  their 
flight  allowing  them  daily  to  make  these  vast  excursions  in 
quest  of  their  ordinary  prey ;  and  hence,  besides  their  sus- 
picious appv'^arance  in  braving  storms,  as  if  aided  by  the 
dark  Ruler  of  the  Air,  they  breed,  according  to  the  vulgar 
opinion  of  sailors,  like  no  other  honest  bird,  for  taking  no 
time  for  the  purpose  on  land,  they  merely  hatch  their  egg 
under  their  wings,  as  they  sit  on  the  water ! 

The  food  cf  this  species,  according  to  Wilson,  appears  to 
consist,  as  he  says,  of  the  gelatinous  spora  of  the  Gulf- 
weed  (Fucus  nutans)  as  well  as  small  fish,  barnacles,  and 
probably  many  small  mollusca.  Their  flesh  is  rank,  oily, 
and  unpleasant  to  the  taste.  Their  food  is  even  converted 
into  oil  by  the  digestive  process,  and  they  abound  with  it  to 
such  a  degree,  that,  according  to  Brunnich,  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Fero  Isles  make  their  carcases  to  serve  the  purpose 
of  a  candle,  by  drawing  a  wick  through  the  mouth  and 
rump,  which  being  lighted,  the  flame  is  for  a  considerable 
time  supported  by  the  fat  and  oil  of  the  body. 


Wilson's  Petrel  is  about  6|  inches  in  length  ;  the  alar  extent  being 
about  13i|.  The  bill  black.  Head,  back,  and  lower  parts  brownish- 
black.  Greater  wing  coverts  pale  brown,  minutely  tipped  with 
white.  Sides  of  the  vent  and  whole  tail  coverts  pure  white.  Wings 
and  tail  black,  the  latter  nearly  even  at  the  tip,  or  but  slightly 
forked :  (in  some  specimens  2  or  3  of  the  exterior  tail  feathers  are 
28 


|»— 1>—«>i»!WP«    I'lWJMi 


336 


r  t 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


\t 


white  for  about  an  inch  at  tiieir  base.)  Legs  and  naked  part  of  the 
thighs  black  :  slight  rudiments  of  a  hind  toe.  The  membrane  of  the 
foot  is  marked  with  a  spot  of  straw  yellow,  and  finely  serrated  along 
the  edges.    Irids  dark  brown. 


, ^# 

FORK-TAILED  STORMY  PETREL.  ^ 

(Thalasaidroma  Leachii,  Bonap.  Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  So.  Philad.  vi^p. 
229.  pi.  9.  [upper  figure.]  et  Synops.  No.  309.  Fork-Tail  Petrel, 
(Procdlaria  furcata?)  Lath.  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  463.  Pro- 
cellaria  Leachii,  Temm.  ii.  p.  812.) 

Sp.  Citaract.  —  Sooty  greyish-black  ;  upper  tail  coverts  white,  with 
dusky  shafts;  tail  deeply  forked,  the  wings  not  extending  be- 
yond its  extremity ;  tube  of  the  nostrils  somewhat  inclined  upwards 
and  obliquely  truncated;  tarsus  1  inch  long.  .>^ 

;  This  species  inhabits  throughout  the  whole  of  the  north- 
ern parts  of  the  Atlantic,  seeming  thus  to  supply  the  place 
of  the  preceding  in  the  colder  latitudes.  It  was,  I  believe, 
discovered  by  Mr.  Bullock,  the  enterprising  traveller  and 
well  known  collector  in  the  Isle  of  St.  Kilda,  one  of  the 
Orkneys,  where  they  were  rather  common,  but  associated 
in  small  numbers.  A  second  individual  was  killed  on  the 
coasts  of  Picardy  in  France.  According  to  the  Prince  of 
Musignano,  they  are  not  rare  on  the  banks  of  Newfound- 
land. The  Fork-Tailed  Petrel  of  Pennant,  probably  the 
same  species,  was  taken  among  the  ice  between  Asia  and 
America.  A  few  years  ago  Mr.  Ives  obtained  a  straggler  in 
the  vicinity  of  Ipswich,  on  the  coast.  Their  habits  and 
mode  of  feeding  appear  to  be  wholly  similar  with  the  pre- 
ceding, seizing  insects  from  the  surface  of  the  water,  never 
diving,  and  pattering  on  its  surface  with  outstretched  wings. 
They  nest  on  the  borders  of  pools  and  near  the  sea,  in  rat- 
holes,  and  the  clefts  of  rocks,  where,  when  on  shore,  and 
probably  only  in  the  breeding  season,  they  remain  con- 


.\\' 


STORMY   PETREL 


327 


cealfid  almost  the  whole  day.    They  are  said  to  lay  but  a 
single  egg,  almost  round,  and  wholly  white. 

Length  about  7^  inches.  Above  sooty  greyish-black ;  beneath  a 
shade  lighter.  Top  of  the  head  somewhat  darker.  Wings  pitch 
black ;  2d  primary  longest,  the  1st  and  2d  acute  at  the  ends ;  the  Ist 
8  little  longer  than  the  3d ;  the  graduation  very  rapid  beyond  the 
4th.  Wing  coverts  fading  into  white  at  the  extremities,  and  outer 
edges  so  as  to  produce  the  appearance  of  a  greyish  mantle.  Scapu- 
lars broad  and  short,  slightly  tipped  with  white,  extending  to  the 
top  of  the  rump,  which  is  white  just  above  the  tail ;  some  of  the 
longer  tail  coverts  are  however  dusky  and  white.  Sides  of  the  rump 
white.  All  the  feathers  close  and  thick.  Tail  forked,  the  Ist  feather 
half  an  inch  shorter  than  the  rest,  all  blunt  or  rounded  at  the  ends. 
Legs,  feet,  and  bill,  black.  The  bill  }  of  an  inch  long ;  the  tube  of 
the  nostrils  rather  short,  inclined  a  little  upwards,  and  obliquely 
truncated.  —  For  an  opportunity  of  describing  this  rare  species  as  it 
occurs  in  America,  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Ives,  who  now  possesses  the 
specimen. 


STORMY  PETREL. 

(Thalassidroma  pelagiea,  Vigors.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  3.  Append, 
(note  27.)  ProceHariapcZag^ca,  Lath.  sp.  19.  Temh.  Man.  d'Orn. 
ii.  p.  810.  BoNAP.  in  Journ.  Acad.  Phil.  iv.  p.  227.  pi.  8.  Stormy 
Petrel,  Lath.  Suppl.  i.  p.  269.  Edwards,  Glean,  t.  90.  Penn. 
Brit.  Zool.  p.  146.  t.  L.  5.    Le  Pitrel,  Briss.  vi.  p.  140.  t.  13. 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Sooty  black;  upper  tail  coverts  white,  with  black 
tips ;  tail  even,  the  wings  extending  a  little  beyond  it ;  tube  of  the 
nostrils  nearly  straight ;  tarsus  seven  eighths  of  an  inch  long. 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that  this,  as  well  as  the  preceding 
species,  inhabits  the  whole  Atlantic,  and  is  consequently  found  on 
the  coasts  of  the  United  States  as  well  as  those  of  Europe.  In  short, 
most  of  the  Stormy  Petrels,  which  I  have  seen  off  the  soundings  of 
the  coast,  have  unifo;.mly  had  black  feet  and  even  tails ;  as  far  as  I 
could  judge  at  the  near  distance  to  which  they  sometimes  approach- 
ed the  vessel  in  which  I  was  sailing. 


ft- 


i<, 


328 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


«>  The  Stormy  Petrel  breeds  in  the  Orkneys  and  Hebrides,  in  the 
holes  and  clefls  of  inaccessible  cliffs  impending  over  the  sea,  proba^ 
biy  also  on  the  American  coast  or  its  islands,  and  are  at  this  time  so 
engaged  in  incabation  as  to  suffer  themselres  to  be  taken  off  their 
nests  by  hand.  Thus  the  females  constantly  hiding  in  their  nests 
when  on  shore,  have  been  supposed  nocturnal  in  their  general 
habitSi,  while  at  the  same  time  the  males  are  abroad  throughout  the 
whole  day.  The  eggs  of  this  species  are  said  to  be  2,  of  a  soiled 
white,,  with  a  circle  of  ferruginous  freckles  around  the  larger  end. 

The  manners  of  this  bird  are  so  precisely  similar  with  those  of 
Wilson's  Stormy  Petrel,  the  species  having,  till  lately,  been  con- 
sidered aa  one,  that  what  has  been  advanced  in  the  history  of  the 
former  is  equally  applicable  to  the  present.  This  species,  as  well  as 
the  two  former,  according  to  Audubon,  indeed  breed  in  the  sandj 
islands  off  Cape  Sable  in  Nova  Scotia. 

Length  of  the  Stormy  Petrel  about  6  inches.  With  the  head, 
back,  wings  and  tail  of  a  dull  black ;  below  sooty  brown.  A  wide 
transverse  band  of  white  upon  the  rump.  Scapulars  and  seconda- 
ries tipped  with  white.  Tail  and  quills  black.  Bill  and  feet  wholly 
black.  Iris  brown.  —  In  the  young  the  tints  are  darker,  the  edges 
of  the  feathers  sooty,  or  somewhat  rufous  i  but  in  all  other  respects 
they  resemble  the  adults. 


^  f> 


'if*^'- 


PETRELS.     (Procellaria,  Lin.) 


Is  these  birds  the  bill  is  about  as  long  as  the  head,  robust,  broad^ 
hard,  sub-cylindric  and  sharp  on  the  edges,  depressed  at  the  base, 
compressed  and  suddenly  swelled  towards  the  point:  the  upper 
mandible  deeply  seamed  each  side,  strongly  hooked  and  acute  at  the 
tip ;  the  lower  shorter  and  narrower,  angular  beneath,  truncated  at 
the  end.  Nostrils  united  in  a  common  tube  on  the  top  the  bill. 
Tongue  entire,  conic.  Feet  stout;  naked  space  above  the  knee 
small ;  tarsus  shorter  than  the  middle  toe ;  webs  large  and  entire ; 
the  hind  toe  merely  a  thick  and  blunt  nail.  Wings  very  long  and 
acute ;  Ist  primary  longest.  Tail  of  14  feath,erB,  rounded,  or  wedge* 
shaped.  .    ■^.'  •- 


OIANT   PETREL. 


329 


Plumage  of  the  sexes  alike ;  and  the  young  differing  but  little 
from  the  adult.  They  moult  twice  a  year  without  changing  their 
colors ;  in  which  white  is  prevalent. 

The  true  Petrels  are  large  birds  living  generally  far  out  at  sea,  or 
on  desolate  islands,  amidst  rocks  and  ice-bergs  in  the  coldest  regions 
of  the  Arctic  and  Antarctic  circles.  They  venture  farther  on  the 
ocean  than  any  other  birds,  regardless  of  the  tempest  they  seem  only 
aroused  into  greater  activity  at  its  approach.  They  fly,  rest,  and 
walk  upon  the  waves ;  steadily  impelled  by  the  blast,  their  wide 
spread  wings,  like  the  sails  of  a  ship  seem  scarcely  to  require  any 
motion.  Their  food  is  fish,  and  the  flesh  of  dead  cetaceous,  or  other 
marine  animals,  moUusca,  and  sometimes  vegetables.  They  asso- 
ciate in  great  numbers  to  breed  in  the  clefts  of  rocks,  or  in  holes 
burrowed  in  the  earth,  where  they  hide  themselves  during  the  period 
of  incubation,  and  never  come  to  land  at  any  other  time.  They  lay 
only  one  large  egg ;  and  feed  their  young  by  bringing  up  into  the  bill 
their  half  digested  and  oily  food.  In  defence  of  their  offspring  they 
have  a  singular  faculty  of  spurting  oil  upon  their  antagonists.  Their 
voice  is  ^  Attaral  and  stridulous,  and  is  often  heard  resounding  from 
the  de^M  C  their  burrows.  The  species  are  few  and  found  in  all 
latitude  .  i.:y  one  in  the  northern  hemisphere.  They  are  allied  to 
the  larger  CruUs. 


GIANT  PETREL. 

(Proeellaria  gigantea,  Gmel.  Lath.  Synops.  vi.  p.  896.  Q^ebranta- 
huessos,  (Bone-breaker)  Boug.  Voy.  p.  63.  Cook's  Voyage,  ii.  p. 
205.  Forster's  Voy.  p.  516.  Bcffon,  ix.  p.  519.  Giant  Petrel, 
Pbnn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  249.  No.  461.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Brownish,  spotted  with  white ;  below  white ;  back, 
wings,  and  tail  brown ;  bill  and  legs  yellow. 

These  gigantic  birds,  ludicrously  called  by  the  sailors 
Mother  Carey's  Geese,  inhabit  the  two  remote  extremities  of 
the  American  continent,  being  found  in  Staaten  Land,  Ter- 
ra del  Fuego,  the  Isle  of  Desolation,  and  other  places  in  high 
south  latitudes ;  as  well  as  in  41^  10"  north,  in  March, 
28* 


330 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


and  off  the  coasts  of  Nootka  Sound  in  April ;  and  again 
farther  north  on  the  American  coast,  in  May,  in  pairs ;  from 
which  it  is  probable  they  also  breed  in  the  northern  as  well 
as  the  southern  hemisphere.  In  the  sea  between  America 
and  Kamtschatka,  the  rocks  of  the  intervening  chain  of 
islands  were  quite  covered  by  their  flocks  ;  and  Steller  saw 
multitudes  feeding  on  a  dead  whale  200  versts  from  land. 
Captain  Cook  met  with  them  in  vast  numbers  in  Christmas 
Harbor,  Kerguelin's  island,  in  December,  where  they  were 
so  tame  as  to  suffer  themselves  to  be  knocked  on  the  head 
with  sticks  on  the  beach. 

The  Giant  Petrels,  though  so  infatuated,  probably  in  the 
breeding  season,  as  to  submit  to  death  rather  than  abandon 
their  resorts  and  young,  are  at  other  times  sufficiently  active 
and  adventurous,  being  seen  to  assemble  in  great  numbers 
on  the  approach  of  a  storm,  sailing  majestically  with  wide 
expanded  and  scarcel;,  moving  wings  close  to  the  surface  of 
the  water,  scanning  the  agitated  bosom  of  the  deep  in  quest 
of  some  fish  or  other  object  of  prey  raised  towards  the  sur- 
face by  the  foaming  billows.  They  also  feed  when  opportu- 
nity offers,  on  the  dead  bodies  of  seals  or  birds,  and  are 
themselves  by  sailors  considered  as  good  food.  Pennant 
thinks  it  probable  that  they  migrate  with  the  Albatross,  into 
the  southern  hemisphere  to  breed.       ,. .    ,«5'pj  .  »,- •  / 

The  Giant  Petrel  is  40  inches  in  length ;  the  alar  extent  7  feet. 
The  bill  4^  inches  long;  tube  of  the  nostrils  2^  inches,  the 
whole  a  fine  dusky-yellow,  resembling  the  color  of  box-wood  Top 
of  the  head  dusky ;  the  sides  of  it,  fore  part  of  the  neck,  breast,  and 
belly,  white.  Hind  part  of  the  neck,  and  upper  part  of  the  body, 
pale  brown,  mottled  with  dusky-white.  Scapulars,  wing  coverts,  quills 
and  tail,  plain  dusky-brown  j  the  last  C  inches  in  length,  and  the 
feathers  darkest  in  the  middle.  Legs  4  inches  long ;  'he  toes  5,  of 
a  greyish-yellow ;  webs  dusky  ;  the  spur  behind  stout  and  pointed 
but  short;  claws  dusky.  .         ;. 


I 


\l 


■.ia 


v;'»»i  :.',,..,■»•  I  ;,-,5i-< 


-^mmrn,,^^       FULMAR  PETREL. 

(Procellaria  gladalis,  Linn.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  823.  sp.  9.  Temh. 
Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  803.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  310.  Fulmar  Petrel, 
Lath.  Penn.  Brit.  Zool.  p.  145.  t.  M.  fig.  1.  et  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p. 
950.  No.  4C1.    Pitrel   de  Vide  de  St.  Kilda,   Buff.   PI.   Enlum. 

59.)  .  .:      ,        ...     ..,    .         :,;  -,      _..     ...:..,..... 

Sp.  Charact.  —  White;  back  and  wings  bluish-grey;  tail  cunei- 
form ;  bill  and  feet  yellow.  —  Young,  pale  cinereous,  varied  with 
brown ;  bill  and  feet  yellowish-grey. 

Surrounded  by  an  eternal  winter  the  Petrel  dwells  nearly 
at  all  seasons  of  the  year  upon  the  Arctic  Seas, 

Where  undissolving,  from  the  first  of  time. 

Snows  swell  on  snows  amazing  to  the  sky ; 

And  icy  mountains  high  on  mountains  pil'd. 

Seem  to  the  shivering  sailor  from  afar, 

Shapeless  and  white,  an  atmosphere  of  clouds  -. 

Projected  huge,  and  horrid  o'er  the  surf. 

Harbingers  of  storm  and  danger,  they  choose  the  wildest 
and  most  desolate  of  regions,  where  congregating  amidst 


/„ 


* 


332 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


the  floating  ice,  they  seek  out  the  resorts  of  the  whale,  on 
whose  carcase,  and  that  of  other  cetaceous  animals,  they 
often  make  a  gratifying  feast,  and  are  well  known  to  the 
whale  fishers  who  frequent  these  hyperboreal  seas.  They 
attend  the  ships  in  all  their  progress.  Emphatically  the 
bird  of  the  tempest,  the  Petrel  rides  securely  amidst  its  hor- 
rors, profiting  by  the  agitation  and  destruction  which  it 
q>reads  pi'ound.  Conscious  of  the  object  which  the  mariner 
has  in  quest,  they  follow  the  vessel,  and  watcK  the  result. 
As  soon  as  a  whale  is  moored  to  ihe  side  of  the  ship,  and 
begins  to  be  cut  up,  an  immense  muster  takes  place,  some- 
times exceeding  a  thousand  of  these  greedy  birds,  all  sta^ 
tioned  in  the  rear,  watching  for  the  morsels  which  are  wafted 
to  leeward.  The  peculiar  chuckling  note  by  which  they 
express  their  eager  expectation,  their  voracity  when  seizing 
on  the  fat,  and  the  large  pieces  which  they  swallow,  the 
envy  shown  towards  those  who  have  obtained  the  largest  of 
these  morsels,  and  often  the  violent  measures  taken  to 
wrest  it  from  them,  afford  to  the  sailors  curious  and  amus- 
ing]' spectacles.  The  surface  of  the  sea  is  sometimes  so 
covered  with  them,  that  a  stone  cannot  be  thrown  without 
one  being  struck.  When  an  alarm  is  given,  innumerable 
wings  are  instantly  in  motion,  and  the  birds,  striking  their 
feet  against  the  water  to  aid  their  flight,  cause  a  loud  and 
thundering  plash. 

The  Petrel  is  not  uncommon  in  some  of  the  islands  off 
the  north  of  Scotland.  At  St.  Kilda,  one  of  the  Hebrides, 
it  breeds,  and  supplies  the  inhabitants  with  a  vast  quantity  of 
oil,  which  is  used  for  culinary  as  well  as  medicinal  purposes. 
According  to  Pennant,  "no  bird  is  of  such  use  to  the 
islanders  as  this ;  it  supplies  oil  for  their  lamps,  down  for 
their  beds,  a  delicacy  for  their  tables,  a  balm  for  their 
wounds,  and  a  medicine  for  their  distempers."  He  adds 
"  that  it  is  a  certain  prognostication  of  the  change  of  winds. 


FULMAR  PETREL. 


333 


If  it  come  to  land  no  west  wind  is  expected  for  some  time, 
and  the  contrary  when  it  returns  and  keeps  to  sea." 

Its  food  is  chiefly  fish,  particularly  those  that  are  the  most 
fat,  its  stomach  is  indeed  generally  charged  with  oil,  which 
it  has  the  power  of  ejecting  forcibly  from  the  bill  and  nos- 
trils,  as  a  mode  of  defence.  It  attends  the  fishing  vessels 
on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland,  feeding  on  the  liver  and 
offal  of  the  cod-fish  which  is  thrown  overboard,  and  is 
known  to  the  sailort  f  .  ^uaint  name  of  Jo  .  "^iv/n. 
It  is  also  taken  by  means  ot  a  hook  baited  in  this  manner 
with  the  offal ;  and  the  inhabitants  of  Baffin's  and  Hudson's 
Bay  are  said  to  salt  them  for  winter  provision  ;  though  Pen- 
nant, in  the  Arctic  Zoology,  adds  that  their  flesh  is  rank  and 
fetid  nn  consequence  of  their  unpleasant  food,  yet  they 
are  still  considered  as  no  indifferent  dish  by  the  hungry 
Greenlanders,  and  they  breed  usually  about  Disco.  Like 
the  birds  of  the  preceding,  and  nearly  allied  genus,  they 
nest  in  holes  in  the  rocks,  in  great  companies,  at  St.  Kilda, 
about  the  middle  of  June,  laying  but  one  large,  white,  and 
brittle  egg.  The  Fulmar  is  now  and  then,  though  very 
rarely,  seen  on  the  temperate  coasts  of  Europe  and  the 
United  States.  The  feathers  are  very  close  and  full,  cloth- 
ed below  with  a  thick  and  fine  down. 

The  length  of  this  species  is  about  17  inches.  With  the  head, 
neck,  all  the  lower  parts,  rump,  and  tail  pure  white.  Back,  scapu> 
lars,  wing  coverts  and  secondaries  of  a  pure  bluish-ash.  Quills  pale 
greyish-brown.  Tail  much  rounded  and  forming  a  cone.  Bill  bright 
yellow,  the  nasal  tube  tinged  with  orange.     Irids  and  feet  yellow. 

The  young  of  the  year,  have  all  parts  of  the  body  pale  grey,  shaded 
with  brown.  The  feathers  of  the  back  and  wings  tipped  with  much 
darker  brown.  Quills  and  tail  feathers  of  a  single  shade  of  grey- 
brown.  Before  the  eyes  there  is  an  angular  black  spot.  Bill  and  feet 
yellowish-ash. 


334 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


PUFFINS.  (PuppiNus,  Briss.) 


w 


M^ 


With  the  bill  longer  than  the  head,  slender,  hard,  much  com* 
pressed  at  the  point ;  both  mandibles  much  curved  and  acute  at  tip ; 
the  upper  seamed  on  each  side,  turgid  at  the  point ;  the  lower  some* 
what  shorter,  angular  beneath.  Nostrils  basal,  opening  in  two 
tubes.  Feet  moderate,  stout,  large  ;  naked  space  on  the  tibia  exten- 
sive ;  tarsus  equal  to  the  middle  toe  :  webs  entire  ;  hind  toe  merely 
a  sharp  nail.  Wings  long  and  acute;  1st  primary  longest.  Tail 
rounded,  of  12  feathers.  •,  '    . ,  ■  f^ 

The  sexes  alike  in  plumage ;  and  the  young  differing  but  little 
from  the  adult.  They  moult  twice  a  year  without  changing  their 
nolors,  which  are  usually  more  or  less  greyish.  The  species  of 
middling  size. 

These  birds,  like  the  Stormy  or  Swallow-Petrels  live  almost  wholly 
out  at  sea,  rangittf  far  and  wide  without  fear  or  danger ;  they  are 
also  capable  of  divlp]g  as  well  as  swimming.  They  are  continu* 
ally  wandering  over^rfihe  ocean,  residing  in  the  vicinity  of  shoala, 
banks  and'^breakers,  ttut  are  rarely  seen  on  shore  except  in  the  breed* 
ing  season,  when  they  dig  burrows,  or  nest  in  the  clefls  of  rocks, 
and  during  incubation  are  almost  nocturnal  in  their  habits,  goin^ 
abroad  only  at  twilight,  or  by  day,  in  dark  and  cloudy  weather. 
They  lay  but  one  egg,  and  breed  in  companies.  The  young  are  at 
first  covered  with  long  down.  They  feed  almost  wholly  on  fish,  for 
which  they  oflen  dive  into  the  waves.  ■  '  '■ 

The  species  are  spread  all  over  the  world.    They  are  eminently 
distinguished  by  their  power  of  diving  from  the  ordinary  Petrels. 


^*!^' 


,  ■.'S,-.'"'; 


'■"■  CINEREOUS  PUFFIN. 

(Puffinus  cinereus,  Cuvier.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  311.     Proeellaria 
puffinus,  and  P.  cincrca,    Lin.  Lath.  P.  jmffinus,  Temm.  Man. 
d'Orn.  ii.  p.  805.    Cinereous  Petrel,  Lath.   Syn.  vi.   p.  405,     Le 
Puffin,  Buff.  PI.  Enlum.  962.  [young].) 


I 


I 


CINEREOUS   PUFFIN. 


335 


Sp.  Charaot.  —  Bill  more  than  9  inches  long,  depressed  at  base, 
compressed  where  the  point  swells ;  tail  wedge-shaped  ;  tarsus  3 
inches  long. — ./9(2iiZt  pale  cinereous,  wings  and  tail  blackish-ash; 
beneath  white ;  bill  and  feet  yellowish.  Young  slate  color,  be- 
neath varied  with  cinereous ;  bill  blackish. 

The  Cinereous  Puffin  or  Wandering  Sheerwat?^r,   visits 
every  part  of  the  great  Atlantic  Ocean,  from  the  banks 
of  Newfoundland  to  Senegal  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
It  is   also  common   in   the    Mediterranean,    and    on  the 
southern  coasts  of  Spain  and  Provence,  but  never  proceeds 
to  the  Adriatic.     On  approaching  the  banks  of  Newfound- 
land,  but  far  west  of  soundings,  we  see  the  soaring  and 
wandering  Lestris,  and  every  day,  the  wild  Shearwater,  but 
more  particularly  in  blowing  and  squally  weather,  sometimes 
also  in  fine  weather  we  see  them  throughout  the  day.   Their 
course  in  the  air  is  exceedingly  swift  and  powerful.  With  their 
long  wings  outstretched  and  almost  motionless,  they  sweep 
over  the  wild  waves  fearless  of  every  danger,  flying  out  in  vast 
curves,  watching  at  the  same  time  intently  for  their  finny 
prey.     Like  the  Stormy  Petrel,  they  are  often  seen  to  trip 
upon  the  water  with  extended  feet  and  open  wings,  they 
likewise  dive  for  small  fish,  and  find  an  advantage  in  the 
storm,  whose  pellucid  mountain  waves  bring  to  view  its  shin- 
ing prey  to  more  advantage ;  it  is  therefore  often  seen  most 
active  at  such  times,  watching  the  sweeping  billow  as  it 
rises  and  foams  along,  harassing  and  pursuing  its  quarry 
with  singular  address,   snatching  it   from  the  surface,  or 
diving  after  it  through  the  waves,  on  which  they  are  often 
seen  to  sit,  as  they  mount  to  the  sky  or  sink  into  the  yawn- 
ing abyss  of  the  raging  deep. 

The  nest  and  history  of  propagation  in  this  species,  prob- 
ably very  similar  with  the  following,  is  yet  unknown. 

The  length  of  this  species  is  about  19  inches.     The  head,  cheeks, 
nape  and  back  are  of  a  pale  ash  color.  All  the  feathers  of  the  back 


336 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


terminating  in  paler  zonea  of  color.  Scapulars,  wings  and  tail  of  a 
blackish-ash  or  slate  color.  Quills  black.  Sides  of  tlie  neck  and 
breast  waved  with  very  pale  ash  color ;  all  the  other  lower  parts, 
white.  Bill  yellowish,  with  brown  spots  towards  the  end,  which  in- 
dicates still  the  deficiency  of  mature  age.  Feet  and  their  webs  of  a 
livid-yellowish.    Irids  brown. 

In  the  young  the  upper  plumage  is  much  darker,  and  below  there 
are  several  places  waved  with  ash.  The  bill  is  greyish-black,  and 
somewhat  more  slender  than  in  the  old,  without  apparent  groove, 
and  the  two  tubes  of  the  nostrils  are  not  united  under  the  same 
vault. 


'i-f; 


>m[ 


SHEAR-WATER  PETREL. 


w 

(Puffinus  anglorum,  Ray.  Synops.  p.  184.  ./?.  4.  Montaoc.  Orn. 
Diet.  p.  390.  [ed.  alt.]  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  f)12.  Menk's  Puffin, 
Edwards,  tab.  359.  Shear-water  Petrel,  F'avv.  Brit.  Zool.  fol.  p. 
146.  tab.  .^f.  et  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  402.  Procellaria  anglorum, 
Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  806.; 

Sp.Charact. —  Bill  very  slender,  almost  1|  inches  long ;  tail  rounded, 
the  wings  extending  somewhat  beyond  its  tip :  tarsus  about 
the  length  of  the  bill.  —  ^dult  glossy  black,  beneath  pure  white  ; 
bill  blackish. 

The  Manks  Puffin  inhabits  the  northern  seas  of  both  con- 
tinents, but  does  not  penetrate  apparently  into  Arctic  lati- 
tudes. It  is  only  a  rare  and  accidental  visiter  in  the  United 
States,  but  is  sufficiently  common  in  the  northern  British 
islands,  particularly  the  Orkneys  and  the  Isle  of  Man.  In 
winter  they  migrate  to  the  coasts  of  England  and  Ireland, 
and  are  seen  also  in  Norway.  They  are  found  in  the  Ork- 
neys, particularly  at  St.  Kilda,  and  in  the  Isle  of  Man,  in 
the  breeding  season,  where  they  take  possession  of  rabbit 
burrows,  or  other  holes  near  shelving  rocks  and  headlands 
impending  over  the  sea,  and  lay  one   white  egg,  blunt  at 


DUSKY    rBTRBL. 


837 


I  tail  of  a 
neck  and 
rer  parti, 
which  in- 
yubs  of  a 

low  there 
lack,  and 
t  groove, 
the  same 


lOC.  Orn, 
s  Puffin, 
)ol.  fol.  p. 
mglorum, 

rounded, 
IS  about 
re  white ; 

Mjth  con- 
ctic  lati- 
j  United 
British 
an.  In 
Ireland, 
he  Ork- 
Man,  in 
»f  rabbit 
mdlands 
blunt  at 


either  end.  The  young  are  fit  to  take  in  August,  when 
great  numbers  are  killed  and  salted  for  provision  by  the  in- 
habitants. In  the  Orkneys  they  are  also  valued  for  their 
feathers.  They  arrive  in  February,  but  do  not  settle  down 
to  breed  until  April,  and  they  migrate  by  the  beginning  of 
September.  During  the  day  they  keep  out  at  sea  fishing, 
and  return  to  their  young  towards  evening.  Their  habits, 
generally,  are  wholly  similar  with  those  of  the  Stormy 
Petrels. 

The  Manks  Puffin  is  about  15  inchea  in  length.  The  summit  of 
the  head,  nape,  and  generally  all  the  upper  parts  of  the  body,  the 
wings,  tail,  thighs  snd  edges  of  the  inferior  tail  coverts  of  a  black 
which  appears  glossy.  All  the  lower  parts  white.  The  sides  of  the 
neck  waved.  Bill  blackish-brown.  Legs  and  feet  dark  brown,  the 
webs  yellowish. 


DUSKY  PETREL. 

(Puffimia  obscurus,  Citvier.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  313.  ProceUaria 
obicura,  Gmel.  Syn.  i.  p.  559.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  828.  sp.  24. 
Temh.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  808.  Dusky  Petrel,  Latu.  Synops.  vi. 
p.  416.  Penn.  Arct  Zool.  Suppl.  p.  73.  :^or.  degli  Uce.  5.  pi. 
588.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  very  slender,  1|  inches  long ;  tail  rounded.,  the 
r  wings  extending  to  its  tip ;  tarsus  little  more  than  1  inch  long.  — 
I   Adtdt  glossy  brownish-black,  beneath  white  :  bill  blackish. 

\  This  species  is  so  nearly  related  to  the  preceding,  that  it 
appears  almost  the  same,  but  diminished  in  size.  It  chiefly 
inhabits  the  temperate  and  warmer  seas  contiguous  to  both 
continents.  It  is  rarely  seen  in  the  Mediterranean,  but  is 
found  in  all  the  Archipelago,  and  is  very  common  on  the 
coasts  of  Africa,  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  the  north- 
west coast  of  America.  It  is  never  seen  in  the  north. 
29 


M 


888 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDi. 


Its  food  and  the  place  and  manner  of  propagation  are  ud- 
known,  though  probably  very  similar  with  the  preceding. 

The  length  of  thii  ipeciei  it  about  10^  inchei.  The  colors  exactly 
as  in  the  preceding.  The  tanua  and  toes  of  a  reddish-brown, 
the  webs  yellow ;  the  outer  toe  firinged  with  black.  Iris  blackish- 
brown. 


ALBATROSS.  (Diomedea,  Lin.) 

In  these  largest  of  marine  birds  the  bill  is  longer  Uian  the  head^ 
very  robust,  hard,  and  outung  at  thr<  edges,  compressed,  straight,  and 
suddenly  curved  at  the  point ;  upper  mandible  deeply  seamed  on 
each  side,  strongly  hooked  at  tip ;  lower  mandible  smooth,  its  end 
distinct,  compressed  and  truncated  at  tip.  Nostrils  in  the  Airrow, 
distant  from  the  base,  separate,  covered  on  the  sides,  open  before ; 
tubes  very  short,  partly  conical,  wider  before  than  behind,  lying  on 
the  sides  of  the  bill.  Tongue  very  short,  fleshy,  and  truncated  at 
the  extremity.  Feet  short,  robust :  tarsus  one  fourth  shorter  than 
the  middle  toe  ;  webs  full  and  entire :  no  rudiment  of  a  hind  toe  nor 
nail :  nails  short  and  obtuse.  Wings  very  long  and  narrow ;  quills 
short:  the  secondaries  scarcely  extending  beyond  their  coverts. 
Tail  rounded,  of  14  feathers. 

The  sexes  alike  in  plumage ;  but  the  young  differ  much  fVom  the 
adult.    They  moult  twice  a  year  without  changing  their  colors.   .^ 

The  Albatross  like  the  Shear-water  ventures  out  far  to  sea,  flying 
generally  low  or  skimming  the  surface  of  the  waves,  but  in  stormy 
weather  they  soar  into  the  higher  regions  of  the  atmosphere,  in 
which  they  probably  enjoy  a  calm,  while  the  fury  of  the  blast  is  ex- 
pending itself  below.  Though  of  such  bulk  and  strength  they  are 
generally  cowardly,  giving  way  to  the  attacks  of  smaller  and  more 
predaceouB  birds  by  seeking  shelter  on  the  bosom  of  the  sea ;  indeed 
they  are  constantly  harassed  and  attacked  by  smull  parties  of  Gulls. 
They  are  extremely  gluttonous  and  voracious ;  feed  on  fish,  particu- 
larly those  which  make  such  prodigious  leaps  out  of  the  water  as  to 
appear  flying,  also,  on  molluscous  and  gelatinous  animals ;  gorging 
themselves  sometimes  to  such  a  degree  as  to  be  unable  to  move, 


ALBATROM. 


390 


n  are  un- 
eding. 

)n  exactly 
iih-brown, 
I  blockiih* 


,  the  head, 
aight,  and 
earned  on 
th,  ita  end 
le  Airrow, 
n  before ; 
,  lying  on 
incated  at 
orter  than 
nd  toe  nor 
>w;  quills 
r  coverts. 


when  their  feathered  enemiei  compel  them  to  diagorge,  and  at  Huoh 
timea  they  are  rendered  ao  liatleaa  and  inactive  by  gluttony,  aa  to 
allow  of  being  taken  by  hand.  Their  voice  ia'  aaid  to  be  hanh, 
though  not  remarkably  loud,  reaembling  aomewhat  the  honk  of  a 
gooae  but  deeper.*  They  build,  with  clay  and  aedge,a  rounded  nest 
two  or  three  feet  high ;  and  the  eggs  are  large  and  several.  The 
flesh  is  hard  and  unsi.vory  :  but  the  eggs  are  eatable. 

These  largest  of  web-footed  birds  are  spread  throughout  both  hemi* 
spheres,  but  are  especially  common  in  the  high  latitudes  of  tha 
■outhern.  The  genus  oontaina  but  4  well  ascertained  species,  only 
one  of  which  visits  the  Atlantic.  They  are  n>ach  allied  to  the  larger 
species  of  Gull. 

*  Dr.  M«  Murtrie,  in  a  note  In  bis  tranilatlon  of  Cuvier'$  Rtgn$  JlninuU, 


f  ^'  'V-r 


flrom  the 
olors. 

lea,  flying 
in  stormy 
sphere,  in 
last  is  ez- 
i  they  are 
and  more 
Ei;  indeed 
of  Gulls. 
I,  particu- 
'ater  as  to 
;  gorging 
to  move, 


-:'"    ;  ■        : '■''•''•'   ■ 

,      .--.yv^v- 

:   ,   ■■■-         ,    ■-'.'    •  >   ■.  '. 

i-l.  ■  „,K 

t           .-,..' 

■■'  i;  .    i"! 

.,       i           ,,'■    :/          _/ 

\^^..^-^ 

-..-»"!■■            ».|*. 

,»•  .-A,-   i  v;    ;  ..<.<•«..■ 

;,'-'..  .--.-  ,     ». 

•1,:    •.       . 

.v'i-i 

■-■"':      -    ;.                       v.. 

i^.,:■--:^.^     -;(,-. 

v^.    .kli.^-r;,          :.    ',.,,;. 

■     "    -ii^ 

■'AiiH-  .'  :'i  .:     iv.     ;?. 

■'-.  :t-}\mvi 

•-■'     'f      ' '  'f   •.'  .<i     1  1 

'■   '        'u-''-^' 

aAii*;xS 


( 


I  / 


WANDERING  ALBATROSS. 

(Diomedea  exuians,  Linn.  Syst.  p.  214.  Lath.  Ind.  8.  AlbatroM, 
Edwards,  pi.  88.  Pallas.  Spicil.  Zool.  Fascic.  v.  p.  S8.  Wan- 
dering  Albatross,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  216.  No.  423.  Bonap. 
Synops.  No.  314.  Sooty,  or  Brown  Albatross,  Lath.  Synopg. 
[young].  Buff.  PI.  Enlum.  237.    Tschaiki  of  the  Kamtschadales.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Whitish ;  back  and  wings  lineated  with  black ; 
quills  black,  their  shafls  yellow ;  tail  lead-colored,  rounded.  — 
Young  dusky;  head,  wings,  and  tail,  blackish:  a  white  space 
round  the  eye. 

The  Albatross  inhabits  the  Atlantic  as  well  as  the  Pacifio 
and  sometimes  wanders  accidentally  to  the  coasts  of  the 
central  parts  of  the  Union.  Vagabond,  except  in  the  short 
season  of  reproduction,  they  are  seen  to  launch  out  into  thQ 


WANDERING   ALBATROSS. 


341 


widest  part  of  the  ocean,  and  it  is  probable  that  accor- 
ding to  the  seasons,  they  pass  from  one  extremity  of  the 
globe  to  the  other.    Like  the  Fulmar,  the  constant  attend- 
ant upon  the  whale,  the  Albatross,  no  less  adventurous  and 
wandering,  pursues  the  tracks  of  his  finny  prey  from  one 
hemisphere  into  another.     Dr.  Forster  saw  them  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  southern  ocean,  6  or   700  leagues  from  land. 
When  the  flying  fish  fails  they  have  recourse  to  the  inex- 
haustible  supply  of  molluscous  animals  with  which  the 
milder  seas  abound.     They  are  no  where  more  abundant 
than  off  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  where  they  have  been 
seen  in  April  and  May,  sometimes  soaring  in  the  air  with 
the  gentle  motion  of  a  kite,  at  a  stupendous  height ;    at 
others  nearer  the  water,  watching  the  motions  of  the  Flying 
Fish,  which  they  seize  as  they  spring  out  of  the  water  to 
shun  the  jaws  of  the  larger  fish  which  pursue  them.     Vast 
flocks  are  also  seen  round  Kamtschatka,  and  the  adjacent 
islands,  particularly  the  Kuriles  and  Bering's  Island,  about 
the  end  of  June.     Their  arrival  is  considered  by  the  na- 
tives of  these  places  as  a  sure  presage  of  the  presence  of 
the  shoals  of  fish  which  they  have  thus  followed  into  these 
remotest  of  seas.     That  want  of  food  impels  them  to  un- 
dertake these  great  migrations  appears  from  the  lean  condi- 
tion in  which  they  arrive  from  the  south ;  they  soon  however 
become  exceeding  fat.      Their  voracity   and  gluttony   is 
almost  unparalleled  ,*  it  is  not  uncommon  to  sea  one  swallow 
a  salmon  of  four  or  five  pounds  weight ;  but  as  the  gullet 
cannot  contain  the  whole  at  once,  part  of  the  tail  end  will 
often  remain  out  of  the  mouth ;  and  they  become  so  stupi- 
fied  by  their  enormous  meals,  as  to  allow  the  natives  to 
knock  them  on  the  head  without  offering  any  resistance. 
They  are  often  taken  by  means  of  a  hook  baited  with  a  fish, 
but  not  for  the  sake  of  their  flesh,  which  is  hard  and  unsa- 
vory, but  on  account  of  the  intestines,  which  the  Kamtscha-^ 
29* 


342 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


fl 


dales  use  as  a  bladder  to  float  the  buoys  of  their  fishinj^ 
nets.  Of  the  bones  they  also  make  tobacco  pipes,  needle- 
cases,  and  other  small  implements.  When  caught,  however, 
they  defend  themselves  stoutly  with  the  bill,  and  utter  a 
harsh  and  disgusting  cry.  Early  in  August  they  quit  these 
inhospitable  climes  for  the  more  genial  regions  of  the  south, 
into  which  they  penetrate  sometimes  as  low  as  the  latitude 
of  67°. 

In  Patagonia  and  the  Falkland  Islands,  they  are  known 
to  breed,  but  not  in  the  northern  hemisphere  to  which  they 
probably  migrate  only  in  quest  of  food.  They  repair  to  this 
southern  extremity  of  the  American  continent  about  the 
time  they  leave  the  northern  regions,  being  seen  at  the  close 
of  September  and  beginning  of  October  (the  spring  of  this 
hemisphere)  associated  to  breed  with  other  birds  of  similar  , 
habits.  The  nests  are  made  on  the  ground  with  earth  and 
sedge  ;  of  a  round  conic  form,  elevated  to  the  height  of 
three  feet,  leaving  a  hollow  in  the  summit  for  the  egg,  for 
they  lay  but  one,  which  is  larger  than  that  of  a  goose,  white, 
with  dull  spots  at  the  larger  end ;  and  is  good  food,  the 
white  never  growing  hard  with  boiling.  While  the  female 
is  sitting,  the  male  is  constantly  on  the  wing,  and  supplies 
her  with  food :  during  this  time,  they  are  so  tame  as  to 
allow  themselves  to  be  pushed  off  the  nest,  while  their  eggs 
are  taken.  But  their  most  destructive  enemy  is  the  Hawk, 
who  steals  the  egg  whenever  the  female  removes  from  it. 
As  soon  as  the  young  are  able  to  leave  the  nest,  the  Pen- 
guins take  possession  of  it,  and  without  farther  preparation 
hatch  their  young  in  turn.  ,.  t   ,,  fj;.    ; 

The  Albatross  tVough  so  large  a  bird  suffers  itself  to  be 
teased  and  harassed  while  on  the  wing  by  the  Skua  Gull 
or  Lestris,  from  which  it  often  alone  finds  means  to  es- 
cape by  settling  down  into  the  water,  but  never  attempts 
resistance. 


'  vdbtf.itt'C 


OEEBE. 


343 


needle- 
owever, 
utter  a 
it  these 
3  south, 
latitude 

known 
ch  they 
r  to  this 
out  the 
he  close 
;  of  this 

similar 
irth  and 
eight  of 
egg,  for 
;,  white, 
ix>d,  the 

female 
supplies 
e  as  to 
eir  eggs 

Hawk, 
from  it. 
[le  Pen- 
paration 

>lf  to  be 
ua  Gull 
B  to  es- 
attempts 


The  Albatross  is  from  8  to  4  feet  long ;  the  alar  extent  from  10  to 
17  feet.  Crown  of  the  head  pale  ash-brown ;  the  rest  of  the  body 
partly  white,  crossed  with  blackish  lines  on  the  back  and  wings,  and 
with  spots  in  the  same  direction  towards  the  rump.  Primaries  black. 
Tail  dusky-lead  color  and  rounded.  Bill  dull  soiled  yellow.  Legs 
flesh  colored 


,»-  i'  :h:^^i'   :<.: 


^U  1!);^:  ^.^^  ■-*  ■^i.-'--r 


;»•:«    1: 


GEESE.  (Ansbr,  Briss.) 


In  these  large  and  well  known  birds  the  bill  is  short  or  moderate, 
stout,  at  the  base  higher  than  broad,  somewhat  conic,  cylindrical,  de- 
pressed towards  the  point,  and  narrowed  and  rounded  at  the  extrem- 
ity ;  upper  mandible  not  covering  the  margins  of  the  lower,  the 
ridge  of  the  bill  broad  and  elevated ;  the  nail  "Oinewhat  orbicular, 
curved  and  obtuse ;  marginal  teeth  short,  conic  and  acute.  Nostrils 
medial,  lateral,  longitudinal,  elliptic,  large,  open  and  pervious, 
covered  by  a  membrane.  The  tongue  thick,  fleshy,  and  fringed  on 
the  sides.  Feet  centra!,  stout,  tarsus  rather  longer  than  the  middle 
toe ;  webs  entire  ;  hind  toe  equal  to  a  joint  of  the  middle  one,  simple, 
touching  the  ground  at  tip.  Wings  moderate,  acute,  sometimes 
spurred ;  quills  strong,  primaries  much  longer  than  the  secondaries : 
1st  and  2d,  or  2d  and  3d  only,  longest.  Tail  rounded,  containing 
many  feathers.  .   _  •  ■"'■ . 

Female  similar  in  plumage  to  the  male :  the  young  of  some  species 
differing  much  from  the  adult,  and  changing  their  plumage  repeat- 
edly. The  moult  annual,  and  protracted.  Plumage  rather  thick. 
The  colors  dull,  being  different  shades  of  dark  or  light  ash  color. 
The  size  of  the  species  large  :   and  the  trachea  simple. 

These  are  chiefly  terrestrial  and  vigilant  birds,  living  in  flocks, 
mostly  in  marshes  and  low  grounds  or  by  the  ii;  undated  banks  of 
rivers,  migrating  according  to  the  season  from  cold  to  temperate 
climates.  Their  flight  is  high,  and  long  sustained,  and  they  are  usually 
marshalled  in  long  converging  lines.  They  swim  but  little,  and  sit 
deep  in  the  water,  scarcely  ever  diving,  and  ne/er  from  choice. 
They  walk  with  less  awkwardness  than  the  allied  genera  of  Ducks 
and  Swans,  are  altogether  diurnal  in  their  movements,  and  have 
excellent  sight  and  hearing ;  are  extremely  vigilant,  and  when  feed- 
ing or  sleeping  establish  sentinels  to  advertise  them  of  danger. 


844 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


Thej  retire  at  night  to  the  water,  are  very  clamorous  while  collecting ; 
go  abroad  to  pasture  by  day ;  and  feed  principally  upon  vegetables, 
and  seeds,  some  also  prey  op  fishes,  reptiles,  and  small  aquatic  an- 
imals. They  nest  on  the  ground,  laying  many  eggs,  are  disposed  to 
polygamy,  and  are  very  courageous  and  resentful  in  defence  of  their 
young,  attacking  the  assailant  with  hissing  which  they  accompany 
by  blows  from  their  wings. 

The  species  are  numerous  and  spread  all  over  the  world,  but  they 
are  most  frequent  in  cold  and  temperate  countries.  '  ^ 


SNOW  GOOSE. 

(Jinser  hyperboreus,  Pallas.  Borap.  Synops.  No.  315.  Richard. 
North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  467.  Anas  hyperborea,  and  A.  ctBrvleseenSf 
LiKir.  Wilson,  viii.  p.  76.  pi.  68.  fig.  5.  [adult  male.]  and  p.  89. 
pi.  69.  fig.  5.  [young.]  Anser  niveus,  Briss.  vi.  p.  288.  10.  Snow 
Goose,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  477.  The  Blue-winged  Goose, 
Edwards,  pi.  152.  [young.]  Phil.  Museum,  No.  2635.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  rising  high  upon  the  forehead ;  sides  of  the 
bill  with  longitudinal  furrows,  and  denticulations ;  tail  of  16 
feathers.  —  Midt  white,  quills  black  at  the  point :  bill  and  feet 
red.  Young  purplish-brown ;  wing  coverts  and  rump,  bluish-ash : 
more  or  less  white  according  to  age. 

The  Snow  Goose,  common  to  the  north  of  both  conti- 
nents, breeds,  according  to  Richardson,  in  the  Barren 
Grounds  of  Arctic  America,  in  great  numbers,  frequenting 
the  sandy  shores  of  rivers  and  lakes,  and  are  very  watch- 
ful, employing  one  of  their  number  usually  as  a  sentinel  to 
warn  them  of  any  approaching  danger.  The  eggs  are  of  a 
yellowish-white  color,  and  are  a  little  larger  than  those  of 
the  Eider  Duck,  their  length  being  3  inches,  and  their 
greatest  breadth  2.  The  young  fly  about  the  close  of 
August,  and  the  whole  depart  southward  about  the  middle 
of  September.  Early  in  November  they  arrive  in  the  river 
Delaware,  and  probably  visit  Newfoundland  and  the  coasts 


SNOW    GOOSB. 


345 


of  the  Eastern  States  in  th&  interval,  being  occasionally 
seen  in  Massachusetts  Bay.  They  congregate  in  con^ 
giderable  flocks,  are  extremely  noisy  and  gabbling,  their 
notes  being  shriller  than  those  of  the  Canada  or  Common 
Wild  Goose.  They  make  but  a  short  stay  in  the  winter, 
proceeding  farther  south  as  the  severity  of  the  vi^eather 
increases.  The  Snow  Geese  already  begin  to  return  towards 
the  north  by  the  middle  of  February,  and  until  the  breaking 
up  of  the  ice  in  March,  are  frequently  seen  in  flocks  on  the 
shores  of  the  Delaware,  and  around  the  head  of  the  Bay. 
At  this  time  they  are  observed  to  feed  on  the  roots  of  the 
reeds,  tearing  them  up  like  hogs.  In  their  breeding  resorts 
in  the  fur  countries  they  crop  rushes,  and  collect  insects, 
and  in  autumn  principally  berries  for  food,  particularly  those 
of  the  Crow-Berry.*  At  this  titie  they  are  seldom  seen  on 
the  water,  except  in  the  night,  or  when  moulting.  When 
well  fed  its  flesh  is  excellent,  being  far  superior  to  the  Canp 
ada  Goose  m  juiceiness  and  flavor.  It  is  said  the  young  do 
not  attain  the  full  plumage  of  the  old  birds  before  their 
fourth  year,  and  until  that  period  they  appear  to  keep  in 
separate  flocks.  They  are  numerous  at  Albany  Fort,  in  the 
southern  part  of  Hudson's  Bay,  where  the  old  birds  are 
rarely  seen ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  adult  birds  in  their 
migrations  visit  York  Factory  in  great  abundance,  but  are 
seldom  accompanied  by  the  young.  They  make  their 
appearance  in  these  remote  countries  in  spring,  a  few  days 
later  than  the  Canada  Goose,  and  pass  in  large  flocks  both 
through  the  interior  and  along  the  coast.  At  this  season 
they  were  also  seen  by  Mr.  Say  in  the  territory  of  Missouri  j 
many  migrating  north,  probably  up  the  great  valley  of  the 
Mississippi. 

The  Snow  Goose  is  also  met   with   commonly  on  the 


f  flmpetrum  nigrum , 


846 


WEB*FOOTED   BIRDS. 


w 


i 

I 


western  side  of  America,  as  at  Aoonalashka  and  Kam- 
tschatka>  as  well  as  in  the  estuary  of  the  Oregon  where  they 
were  seen  by  Lewis  and  Clarke.  They  are  very  abundant 
in  Siberia,  and  the  natives  oflen  take  them  in  nets  by  means 
of  rude  decoys.  In  that  frozen  climate  they  afford  a  greai 
article  of  subsistence ;  each  family  killing  thousands  in  a 
season,  which  are  laid  up  in  bulk,  in  holes  in  the  earth,  and 
made  use  of  as  occasion  requires. 

The  length  of  the  Snow  Goose  in  about  32  inches ;  the  wings  16i| 
inches  or  upwards  ;  the  bill  above  2  inches  3  lines ;  tarsus  3  inches. 
General  color  white.  Quills  pitch  black ;  their  shafts  white  towards 
the  base.  Head  glossed  with  ferruginous.  Irids  dark  hair-brown. 
Bill,  feet,  and  orbits  aurora-red  ;  nails  of  both  mandibles  livid.  The 
ferruginous  tint  occupies  various  portions  of  the  head  on  different 
individuals,  and  in  some  extends  to  the  neck  and  middle  of  the 

The  immature  bird  has  a  few  feathers  on  the  crown  and  nape,  the 
fore  part  of  the  back,  ends  of  the  scapulars,  some  of  their  coverta, 
And  the  outer  webs  of  the  tail  feathers  greyish-brown,  all  tipped, 
and  more  or  less  edged,  with  white.  Tertiaries,  and  the  rest  of  the 
plumage  as  in  the  old  bird.  Some  individuals  deviate  from  the  full 
plumage  merely  in  the  bastard  wing  and  primary  coverts  retaining 
their  grey  color ;  while  in  very  young  birds,  part  of  the  under 
plumage  is  also  greyish-brown.  —  The  bill  of  the  adult  is  shaped 
ouch  like  that  of  .4.  a/6(/ron«.         .4'>/.      .  .•     j-  ■      ,-,.>«  >ff 


WHITE-FRONTED,  or  LAUGHING  GOOSE. 

(Anser  albifrons,  Bechst.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  316.  Temm.  Man. 
d'Orn.  ii.  p.  821.  Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  466.  Aruts  albi- 
frons, Gmel.  Lath.  Ind.  sp.  27.  White-Fronted  Goose,  Penn. 
Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  476.  Laughing  Goose,  Edwards.  Glean,  t. 
153.  L'oie  Rieuse,  BrjFF.  Ois.  ix.  p.  81.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Brownish,  beneath  white  varied  with  black; 
frontlet  and  throat  white,  margined  with  blackish ;  bill  and  feet 
orange  ;  nails  whitish. 


WHITE    FRONTED,    OR   LAUGHING    GOOSE. 


347 


This  species  is  also  common  to  the  hyperboreal  regions 
of  both  continents,  migrating  at  the  approach  of  winter  into 
milder  climates,  being  very  common  in  Holland  in  autumn, 
but  rare  in  Germany  ^nd  France  ;  and  merely  accidental  in 
its  visits  to  the  coasts  of  the  United  States.    Early  in  the 
spring,  however,  they  were  seen  by  Mr.  Say  in  the  lower  part 
of  Missouri.     According  to  Richardson,  this  species  passes 
at  the  same  time,  or  a  little  later  than  the  Snow  Goose, 
through   the  interior  of  the  fur  countries  in  large  flocks  to 
its  breeding  places,  which  are  in  the  woody  districts  skirting 
the  Mackenzie  river,  to  the  north  of  the  67th  parallel,  and 
also  the  islands  of  the  Arctic  Sea.     It  is  not  common  on 
the  coasts  of  Hudson's  Bay.      From  its  rarity  in  the  United 
States  it  probably  winters  on  the   coast  of  the  Pacific,  in 
common  with  the  preceding  species.     The  Indians  imitate 
its  call  by  patting  the  mouth  with  their  hand,  while  they 
repeat  the  syllable  wah  ;  and  the  resemblance  of  this  note  to 
the  laugh  of  a   man  has   given  rise  to   the   trivial   name. 
Its  food  and  habits  are  similar  with  those  of  the  preceding 
species. 

The  length  o;^  the  Laughing  Goose  is  about  27  inches ;  the  wing 
16 ;  bill  above,  2  inches  4  lines ;  tarsus  3  inches  7j^  lines.  Head  and 
neck  pale  greyish-brown.  Dorsal  plumage  clove-brown,  with  paler 
edges ;  secondaries  tipped  with  white  ;  primaries  greyish-black,  with 
white  shafls.  Front,  region  of  the  bill,  eye-lids,  tail  coverts,  and  all 
the  under  plumage  white,  the  belly  blotched  with  deep  black.  Bill 
and  feet  orange,  the  tip  of  the  former  flesh-colored.  —  A  specimen 
killed  on  the  17th  of  May,  by  Richardson,  at  Fort  Enterprise,  had 
all  the  belly  light  wood-brown  blotched  with  black.  —  The  bill  as 
long  as  the  head,  its  depth  at  the  base  two  thirds  of  its  length ;  the 
commissure  curved  and  gaping,  permitting  the  teeth  to  appear  in  the 
middle.  Five  or  6  rows  of  teeth  on  the  palate.  Wings,  with  the 
3d  quill  the  longest. 


348 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


s 

r 

I'        ': 


BEAN  GOOSE. 

(Anser  segetum,  Bonap.   Synops.  No.  317.  Aiuu  gegetum,  Omel. 

Lath.  Ind.  sp.  28.  Temm.  ii.  p.  820.    Bean  Ooom,  Lath.  Syn. 

vi.  p.  464.  Fenit.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  472.    L'Oie  Sauvagt,  Burr.  Oil. 
>  ix.  p.  80.  t.  2.  PI.  Enlum.  985.  SatU  Gans,  Nadm.  Vog.  t.  42. 

fig.  61.  Oca  Salvatica,  Stor.  degli.  Ucc.  y.  pi.  561.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Dark  ash,  beneath  whitish ;  rump  blackish ;  the 
folded  wings  extending  beyond  the  tail ;  bill  long,  depressed, 
black  and  orange,  nail  black ;  tail  of  18  feathers. 

This  species  inhabits  the  Arctic  regions  of  both  con- 
tinents, migrating  periodically  to  and  from  more  genial  cli- 
mates. It  is  rarely  seen  even  in  the  most  northern  parts  of 
Canada,  and  was  not  met  with  by  Richardson  in  the  Arctic 
expeditions  which  he  accompanied,  though  Hearne  speaks 
of  seeing  it  in  Hudson's  Bay.  It  probably  winters  on  the 
north  western  coast  of  America.  In  England,  Germany, 
France  and  Holland  it  is  common  as  a  bird  of  passage. 

The  Bean  Goose  passes  the  period  of  reproduction  in  the 
regions  of  the  Arctic  zone,  nesting  in  marshes  and  heaths, 
laying  10  or  12  white  eggs.  It  is  said  to  breed  in  great 
numbers  in  Lewis,  one  of  the  Hebrides,  and  is  very  destruc- 
tive to  the  green  corn.  Its  food  consists  of  both  aquatic 
and  terrestrial  vegetables,  as  well  as  seeds  and  grain.  v 

The  length  of  this  species  is  about  2  feet  8  inches.  The  head  ant^. 
upper  part  of  the  neck  is  of  an  ashy-brown.  Lower  part  of  the  neck 
and  beneath  pale  ash  color.  Top  of  the  back,  scapulars,  and  all  the 
wing  coverts  brown  ash  fringed  with  whitish.  Rump  blackish- 
brown.  Abdomen  and  beneath  the  tail  white.  Bill  black  at  its  base 
and  upon  the  nail,  orange-yellow  in  the  middle.  Orbits  blackish- 
grey.     Iris  dark  brown.    Feet  orange-red. 

In  the  young  the  head  and  neck  is  of  a  soiled  yellowish-rufous. 
All  the  plumage  of  a  more  pale  cinereous.  There  is  commonly  3 
small  white  spots  at  the  base  of  the  bill. 


;  iEa*^^o-w  jr»*4-;s  ,iy-v 


i  *""?■ 


7 


.■4'-' 


CANADA  GOOSE. 

(Anser  canadensis,  Vieill.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  318.  Rich.  North. 
Zool.  ii.  p.  468.  Canada  Goose,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  471. 
Wilson,  viii.  p.  53.  pi.  67.  fig.  4.  The  Canada  Goose,  Edwards. 
pi.  151.    Phil.  Museum,  No.  2704.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Dark  ash  ;  head,  neck  and  tail  black ;  cheeks  and 
throat  white ;  bill  and  feet  black ;  tail  consisting  of  18  feathers. 

The  common  Wild  Goose  of  America  is  known  familiarly 
in  every  part  of  the  Union  as  a  bird  of  passage  to  and  from 
its  breeding  places  in  the  interior  and  north  of  the  conti- 
nent. The  arrival  of  this  bird  in  the  desolate  fur  countries 
of  Hudson's  Bay  is  anxiously  looked  for,  and  hailed  with 
joy  by  the  aborigines  of  the  woody  and  swampy  districts 
which  they  frequent,  and  who  depend  principally  upon  it  for 
subsistence  during  the  summer.  They  make  their  appear- 
ance at  first  in  flocks  of  20  or  30,  which  are  readily  decoyed 
30 


350 


WEB-FOOTED    BIROS. 


I  ! 


within  gunshot  by  the  hunters,  who  set  up  stales  or  stuflfed 
birds,  and  imitate  their  call.     Two  or  three  are  so  fre- 
quently killed  at  a  shot,  in  this  way,  that  the  usual  price  of 
a  Wild  Goose  is  a  single  charge  of  anununitioo.     I'his 
vernal  flight  of  the  Qeese  continues  from  about  the  middle 
of  April  to  the  same  time  in  May ;  their  appearance  of 
course  coinciding  with  the  thawing  of  the  swamps  and 
marshes,  though  their  usual  food  of  grass  and  berries  is 
accesible  at  most  times  when  not  buried  up  in  the  snow. 
These  fruits  are  oflen,  indeed,  only  mellowed  by  the  frost, 
and  when  stripped  of  their  wintry  wreath  are  again  ready 
for  food  as  they  were  in  the  autumn  before  their  disappear- 
ance beneath  the  snow.     At  such  times,  according  to  Dr. 
Richardson,  the  Wild  Goose  makes  an  abundant  repast  of 
the  farinaceous  berries  of  the  Silvery  Buckthorn  (Eleagnus 
argentea,)  as  well  as  of  other  kinds  which  have  escaped 
destruction.     After  feeding  in  a  desultory  manner  for  about 
three  weeks,  they  retire  from  the  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay, 
their  great  rendezvous,  and  disperse  in  pairs  through  the 
country,  between  the  50th  and  67th  parallels  to  breed ;  but 
are  seldom  or  never  seen  on  the  coasts  of  the  Arctic  Sea, 
yet  Mr.  Audubon  found   them   breeding  on  the  shores  of 
Labrador.     They  lay  6  or  7  greenish-white  eggs  in  a  coarse 
nest  usually  made  on  the  ground,  but  some  pairs  occasionally 
breed,  on  the  banks  of  the  Saskatchewan,  in  trees,  making 
use,  on  these  occasions,  of  the  deserted  eyries  of  the  Ravens 
or  Fishing  Hawks.     Its  call  or  honk,  is  imitated  by  a  pro- 
longed nasal  pronunciation  of  the  syllable  wook  frequently 
repeated.  .  .m>*;< 

-^  Solitude,  and  suitable  food,  seem  principally  to  influence 
the  Canada  Goose  in  the  selection  of  its  breeding  place,  it 
is  therefore  not  improbable  but  that  many  pairs  pass  the 
period  of  reproduction  in  the  swampy  and  retired  marshes 
of  the  great  North-western  lakes.   At  any  rate,  in  the  month 


CANADA    GOOBE. 


351 


of  March,  (1810,)  many  wild  Geese  were  nesting  in  the 
Shavo-rush*  bottoms  of  the  Missouri,  no  farther  up  than 
Fire  prairie,  considerably  below  the  junction  of  the  river 
Platte ;  so  that  the  breeding  range  of  the  Canada  Goose, 
probably  extends  through  not  less  than  30  degrees  of  latitude. 
In  July,  it  appears,  afler  the  young  birds  are  hatched,  in  the 
fur  countries,  the  parents  moult,  and  advantage  being  then 
taken  of  their  helplessness,  vast  numbers  are  killed  in  the 
rivers  and  small  lakes  when  thus  disabled  from  thght.  At 
such  times,  when  chased  by  a  canoe,  and  frequently  obliged 
to  dive,  they  soon  become  fatigued,  and  making  for  the 
shore  in  order  to  hide,  are  quickly  overtaken,  and  fall  an 
easy  prey  to  their  pursuers. 

Attached  to  particular  places  of  resort  at  the  period  of 
migration,  the  Geese,  in  autumn,  instinctively  advertised 
of  the  approaching  winter,  and  of  the  famine  which  to  them 
necessarily  attends  in  its  train,  are  again  seen  to  assemble 
on  the  sea  coast,  courting  the  mildness  of  its  temperature, 
and  its  open  waters,  which  seem  to  defy  the  access  of  frost. 
They  thus  continue  to  glean  the  marshes  along  the  shores,  till 
the  increasing  severity  of  the  weather  urges  them  to  a  bolder 
and  more  determined  flight  from  the  threatening  dangers  of 
their  situation.  They  now,  in  vast  array,  begin  to  leave  the 
freezing  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay.  Like  the  rest  of  their  gab> 
bling  and  sagacious  tribe,  at  the  call  of  their  momentary 
elected  leader,  they  ascend  the  skies,  wheeling  round,  as  if 
to  take  a  final  leave  of  their  natal  shores,  and  sensible  to  the 
breeze,  arranged  in  long  converging  lines,  (  >  )  they  survey 
their  azure  route,  and  instinctively  follow  the  cheering  path  of 
the  mid-day  sun,  whose  feeble  gleams  alone  offer  them  the 
hope  of  arriving  in  some  more  genial  clime.  The  leader, 
ambitious  of  his  temporary  station,  utters  the  cheering  and 


*  fSquisetum  hiemale,  there  commonly  termed  Bushes, 


352 


WEB-FOOTED    DIRHS. 


V 


reiterated  cry  ;  his  loud  but  simple  clarion,  answered  by 
the  yielding  ranks,  dispels  the  gloom  of  solitude  through 
which  they  laboriously  wander  to  uncertain  and  perhaps 
hostile  lands.  At  length  they  come  in  sight  of  the  habi- 
tations of  men,  suspicious  of  these  appearances  they  urge 
their  flight  higher  and  more  silently  in  the  air ;  bewildered 
by  fogs,  however,  they  often  descend  so  low,  and  honk  so 
loud  as  to  give  sufficient  notice  of  their  approach  to  the 
ambitious  gunner,  who  thus  pours  destruction  among  the 
alarmed  and  confused  flock.  They  also  hear,  or  think  they 
hear,  a  wandering  companion  lost  from  their  cherished 
ranks,  they  approach  the  object,  and  it  is  but  a  domestic 
traitor  of  their  species,  or  the  well  imitated  call  of  the  wily 
fowler.  Towards  evening,  desirous  of  relieving  the  toil 
and  hunger  of  his  adventurous  band,  the  intelligent  leader, 
reconnoitres  from  his  lolly  station  the  resting  place  of  his 
charge;  he  espies  the  reedy  river  or  silent  lake,  whose 
grassy  margins  offer  the  necessary  supply  and  cover  to  their 
lodgment,  his  loud  coll  now  redoubles  at  the  pleasing 
prospect,  and  they  all  alight,  and  silently  repose  in  darkikess 
upon  the  still  water.  Early  in  the  morning  they  renew  their 
wandering  course,  and  according  to  the  time  and  season,  visit 
•very  part  of  the  Union  to  the  shores  of  the  Mexican  Gulf, 
The  autumnal  flight  of  the  Canada  Geese  to  the  coast  of 
Hudson's  Bay,  and  their  residence  there  continues  for  three 
weeks  ur  a  month,  previous  to  their  departure  for  the  south, 
which  usually  takes  place  in  September.  Early  in  October 
they  arrive  on  the  coasts  of  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States. 
•ii  The  residents  of  Hudson's  Bay  depend  greatly  on  Geese 
for  their  supply  of  winter  provision ;  ond,  according  to 
Hutchins,  in  favorable  years,  they  killed  3  or  4000,  and 
barrelled  them  up  for  use.  These  are  obtained  chiefly  by 
means  of  ambuscade  and  decoy ;  bough  huts  being  made  by 
the  Indians  in  lines  over  the  marshes  they  frequent  to  feed  { 


*   CANADA    GOOSE. 


353 


mimicking  their  call,  they  are  brought  within  gun  shot,  and 
the  deception  is  also  enhanced  by  stales  and  setting  up  the 
dead  birds  on  sticks,  in  living  attitudes.  Thus  in  a  good  day 
a  single  native  will  kill  as  many  as  200.  When  the  frosts 
begin,  the  Geese  are  readily  preserved,  with  the  feathers  on, 
in  a  frozen  state,  and  thus  afford  a  durable  supply  of  fresh 
provision.  The  feathers  also  constitute  an  article  of  com- 
merce. 

>  In  the  shallow  bays  and  marshy  islands,  some  continue  the 
whole  winter  in  New  Jersey  and  the  Southern  States,  through 
which  they  spread  themselves  to  the  very  extremity  of  Florida. 
Their  principal  food  is  the  sedge  roots  and  other  herbage, 
they  also  crop  Ulvas  and  tender  marine  plants;  and 
swallow  quantities  of  gravel.  They  swim  with  ease  and 
elegance,  and  when  disabled  in  the  wings,  dive  well,  and 
become  difficult  to  capture.  When  the  shallow  bays  and 
ponds  are  frozen,  they  seek  the  mouths  of  inlets  near  the 
sea,  in  quest  of  their  fare.  .1    .   ;: 

The  Canada  Qoose  is  now  completely  domesticated,  and 
is  as  familiar,  breeds  as  freely,  and  is  in  every  respect  as 
valuable  as  the  common  Grey  Goose.  Even  in  BuiTon's 
time,  ''  many  hundreds  inhabited  the  great  canal  at  Ver- 
sailles, where  they  bred  familiarly  with  the  Swans,"  and  he 
also  adds,  "  there  is  at  present  a  great  number  on  the  mag- 
nificent pools  that  decorate  the  charming  gardens  of  Chan- 
tilly."  The  female,  in  a  state  of  domesticity,  still  with 
instinctive  caution,  seeks  out  the  most  solitary  place  for  her 
nest,  not  far  from  the  water.  They  are  also  extremely 
watchful,  and  the  gander  often  very  resentful  and  clamorous 
against  any  stranger  who  happens  to  approach  the  place 
where  his  consort  is  breeding.  He  often  engenders  with  the 
goose  of  the  common  species,  and  the  hybrids  are  greatly 
esteemed  for  the  superiority  of  their  flavor. 

The  natural  desire  of  periodical  migration  is  strongly 
30* 


354 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


\\ 


exhibited  by  the  Canada  Goose  while  in  a  state  of  domes- 
tication, and  though  at  all  other  times  reconciled  to  accus- 
tomed and  voluntary  captivity,  they  are  often  heard  in- 
stinctively to  hail  the  passing  flocks  as  they  pursue  their 
yielding  way  high  in  the  air.  Individuals  have  been  known 
to  leave  the  premises  where  they  appeared  entirely  domestic, 
after  the  healing  of  the  wounds  which  brought  them  into 
captivity,  and  they  have  thus  successfully  mounted  into  the 
air,  and  joined  some  passing  party  pursuing  their  way  to 
the  north. 

A  Mr.  Piatt  of  Long  Island,  having  wounded  i  female 
Wild  Goose,  succeeded  in  tatiiing  it,  and  Isft  it  at  large 
with  his  other  common  Geese.  Its  wound  healed,  and  ;.t  soon 
became  familiar  and  reconciled  to  its  domestic  condition,  but 
in  the  following  spring  it  joined  a  party  of  Canada  Geese  and 
disappeared  until  autumn ;  when,  at  length,  out  of  a  passing 
flock,  Mr.  P,  observed  three  Geese  to  detach  themselves  from 
their  companions,  and,  after  wheeling  round  several  times, 
alight  in  the  barn  yard,  when  to  his  astonishment  he  recog- 
nized, in  one  of  the  three  his  long  lost  fugitive,  who  had 
now  returned,  accompanied  by  her  offspring,  to  share  the  hos- 
pitality of  her  former  acquaintance.  However  incredible 
this  story  may  appear,  I  have  heard  two  or  three  relations 
of  the  same  kind,  as  well  authenticated  as  any  other  facts 
in  natural  history.  One  of  these  happened  to  a  planter  near 
Okrocock  inlet,  in  North  Carolina,  in  which,  as  in  the 
present  instance,  the  female,  after  being  absent  the  sum- 
mer, returned  recruited  with  her  brood  in  autumn ;  but 
the  greedy  farmer,  less  humane  than  Mr.  Piatt,  having 
probably  heard  of  the  old  adage,  that  "  a  bird  in  the  hand 
was  worth  two  in  the  bush,"  made  sure  of  his  prizes  by 
killing  them  without  delay.  It  appears  from  the  relations 
of  travellers,  and  particularly  a  Dr.  Sanchez,  that  in  the 
Cossack  villages  on  the  Don,  (in  the  autumn  of  1736)  he 


BARNACLE    0008E. 


366 


remarked,  as  he  travelled  along,  a  great  number  of  Geese  in 
the  air,*  which  alighted  and  dispersed  through  the  hamlets. 
On  inquiry,  he  learnt  that  these  birds  came  from  the  remote 
northern  lakes ;  and  that  every  year,  on  the  breaking  up  of 
the  ice,  in  March  and  April,  six  or  seven  pair  of  Geese 
leave  each  hut  of  the  village,  and  return  not  till  the  begin- 
ning of  winter,  or  the  first  fall  of  snow ;  that  then  these 
flocks  arrive,  increased  by  their  progeny,  and  each  little 
party,  separating  from  the  rest,  seek  out  the  houses  where 
they  lived  the  preceding  winter. 

The  Canada  Goose  is  usually  about  3  to'Si^  feet  long;  the  wing 
19^  inches ;  the  bill  above,  2  inches  2  lines ;  the  tarsus  3  inches  7 
lines.  Head,  two  thirds  of  the  neck,  greater  quills,  rump,  and  tail, 
pitch  black.  Buck  and  wings  broccoli-brown,  margined  with  wood 
brown.  Base  of  the  neck  before,  and  under  plumage  yellowish-grey 
with  paler  edges.  Flanks  and  base  of  the  plumage  generally  brown- 
ish-grey. A  few  feathers  about  the  eye,  a  large  kidney-shaped  patch 
on  the  throat,  the  sides  of  the  rump,  and  upper  and  under  tail  cov- 
erts, pure  white.  Bill  and  feet  black ;  the  former  shaped  consid- 
erably like  that  of  the  Barnacle. 

'■/;■'■  •■>   m 


A,s«vt .  •■{ .  ,-5- 


BARNACLE  GOOSE. 


(Anser  leucopsis,  Bechst.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  319.    Atios  leucopsis, 
-:.  Tehh.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  823.    Anas  erythropus,  Lin.  ed.  12.  p. 

197.  sp.  11.     Bernicla  or  Clakis,  Lath.  Syn.  vi.  p.  466.     Penh. 

Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  479.     La  Bernache,  Buff.  F1.  Enlum.  855.  [old 

male.]) 

8p.  Charact.  —  Dark  ash  color;   neck  and  tail  black;  face,  and 
'        beneath  from  the  breast,  white  ;  bill  and  feet  black. 

This  species,  so  remarkable  in  its  history,  is  said  to  be 
common  to  the  Arctic  regions  of  both  continents,  migrating 
to  more  temperate  climates  in  autumn  and  winter.     They 

*  The  common  domestic  kind,  Jtnaa  anscr,  Lin. 


856 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


are,  ihough  rarely,  seen  about  Hudson's  Bay,  but  are  mere 
stragglers  along  the  coasts  of  the  United  States. 

The  origin  of  the  Barnacle  Goose,  seen  so  common  in 
some  parts  of  Europe  in  winter,  but  hiding  itself  in  the  remotest 
wilds  of  the  Arctic  circle  in  the  season  of  breeding,  has  given 
rise  to  the  most  ridiculous  fables  ever  invented  in  natural 
history.  It  was  long  believed  to  be  the  produce  of  a  kind 
of  shells,  hence  called  conches  anatiferee*  found  on  certain 
trees  on  the  coast  of  Scotland  and  the  Orkneys,  or  on  the 
rotten  timber  of  decayed  ships.  Some  even  described  these 
supposed  embryos  as  fruits  in  whose  structure  already  ap- 
peared the  lineaments  of  a  fowl,  and  being  forthwith  drop- 
ped into  the  sea,  turned  directly  into  birds.  Munster,  Saxo 
Grammaticus,  and  Scaliger  even,  asserted  this  absurdity. 
Fulgosus  affirmed  that  the  trees  which  bore  these  won- 
derful fruits  resembled  willows,  producing  at  the  ends  of 
their  branches  small  swelled  balls  containing  the  embryo  of 
a  duck,  suspended  by  the  bill,  which,  when  ripe,  fell  off  into 
the  sea  and  took  to  wing.  Bishop  Leslie,  Torquemada, 
Odericus,  the  Bishop  Olaus  Magnus,  and  a  learned  car- 
dinal, all  attested  to  the  truth  of  their  monstrous  generation. 
Hence  the  bird  has  been  called  the  Tree  Goose,  and  one  of 
the  Orkneys,  the  scene  of  the  prodigy,  has  received  the 
appellation  of  Pomona. 

It  is  needless  to  quote  any  other  authorities  for  such  folly, 
though  the  learned  Cambden  and  Hector  Boece  were  among 
the  number,  who  not  only  vouched  for  the  truth  of  this  prodigy, 
but  added  remarks  of  their  own  to  the  same  effect.  Even 
Cardan,  Rondelet,  Gyraldus  and  Maier  gave  credit  to  these 
fables,  and  some  of  them  wrote  treatises  on  the  subject. 
Maier,  in  particular,  opened  a  hundred  of  the  Goose-bearing 

*  The  Lepas  anatifera,  cf  Linnteus ;  the  exserted  tontaculi  of  which  resemble 
the  barbs  of  a  feather,  and  hence  probably,  besides  its  curious  fleshy  pedicle,  arose 
the  idea  of  its  relation  to  the  organization  of  an  embryo  bird. 


BARNACLE    GOOSE. 


357 


shells,  and  f  and  in  all  of  them  the  rudiments  of  the  bird 
completely  formed.  Gerard  thus  gravely  asserts  his  belief 
in  this  absurdity. 

"  But  what  our  eyes  have  seen,  and  hands  have  touched, 
we  shall  declare.     There  is  a  small  island  in  Lancashire 
called  the  Pile  of  Foulders,  wherein  are  found  broken  pieces 
of  old  and  bruised   ships,   some  whereof  have  been  cast 
thither  by  shipwracke,  and  also  the  trunks  and  bodies  with 
the  branches  of  old  and  rotten  trees,  cast  up  there  likewise ; 
whereon   is   found   a  certain  spume  or  froth  that  in  time 
breedeth  into   certain   shels,   in  shape  like   those  of  the 
muskle,   but  sharper  pointed,   and  of  a  whitish   colour, 
wherein  is  contained  a  thing  in  form  like  a  lace  of  silke 
finely  woven  as  it  were  together,  of  a  whitish  colour ;  one 
end  whereof  is  fastened  unto  the  inside  of  the  shell,  even 
as  the  fish  of  oisters  and  muskles  are  ;  the  other  end  is  made 
fast  unto  the  belly  of  a  rude  masse  or  lumpe,  which  in  time 
commeth  to  the  shape  and  form  of  a  bird ;  when  it  is  per- 
fectly formed,  the  shell  gapeth  open,  and  the  first  thing  that 
appeareth  is  the  foresaid  lace  or  string ;  next  come  the  legs 
of  the  bird  hanging  out,  and  as  it  groweth  greater  it  openeth 
the  shell  by  degrees,  till  at  length  it  has  all  come  forth,  and 
hangeth  only  by  the  bill :  in  short  space  after  it  cometh  to 
full  maturitie,  and  falleth  into  the  sea,  where  i'.  gathereth 
feathers,   and   groweth   to  a  fowle   bigger  than  a  mallard 
and  lesser  than  a  goose,   having  black  legs,   and  bill  or 
beake,  and  feathers  black  and  white,  spoti;^'!  in  such  manner 
as  our  Mag-pie,  called  in  some  places  pie-annet,  which  the 
people  of  Lancashire   call  by  no  other  name  than  Tree- 
Goose  ;  which  place  aforesaid  and  all  those  places  adjoining, 
do  so  much  abound  therewith,  that  one  ot  the  best  is  bought 
for  three-pence.     For  the  truth  hereof,  if  and  doubt,  may 
it  please  them  to  repaire  to  me,  and  I  shall  satisfy  them  hy 
the  testimonie  of  good  witnesses." 


I 


w 


358 


WEB-FOOTED    BIKDS. 


'  iEneas  Sylvius,  however,  shrewdly  relates,  that  chancing 
to  be  in  Scotland,  he  inquired  particularly  for  the  place  of 
the  wonderful  metamorphosis  of  the  Barnacle,  but  was  re- 
ferred to  the  remote  Hebrides  and  Orkneys,  so  that  as  he 
sought  to  advance,  the  miracle  retired  before  him.  ,. 

As  the  Barnacles  breed  in  the  hyperborean  regions,  no 
person  for  a  long  time  had  observed  their  birth,  or  seen  their 
nests ;  and  the  Dutch,  in  a  voyage  whi<5h  extended  to  the 
80th  degree,  were  the  first  who  discovered  their  place  of 
retirement  for  the  purposes  of  incubation.  Yet  they  pro- 
bably breed  in  Norway,  if  it  be  true  as  Poutoppidan  relates, 
that  they  are  seen  there  the  whole  summer.  They  are  also 
believed  to  breed  in  Lapland,  the  north  of  Russia,  and 
Iceland.  They  are  seen  on  the  coasts  of  England,  Ireland 
and  France,  in  autumn,  are  particularly  abundant  at  that 
season  in  Holland,  and  are  caught  in  their  passages,  by  nets 
stretched  across  the  rivers. 

Length  of  the  Barnacle  about  2  feet  1  or  2  inches.  The  front, 
sides  of  the  head  and  throat  pure  white.  A  small  stripe  between  the 
eye  and  bill,  occiput,  nape,  neck,  upper  part  of  the  breast,  tail  and 
quills,  black.  I<'eathers  of  the  back,  scapulars  and  wings  of  an  ashy- 
grey  from  their  origin,  with  a  wide  black  band  towards  their  ends, 
and  all  tipped  with  whitish-grey.  Lower  parts  pure  white,  with  the 
exception  of  the  flanks  which  have  a  cinereous  tint.  Bill  and  feet 
black.    Iris  blackish -brown. 

The  young  of  the  year,  have  between  the  eye  and  the  bill  a  wide 
blackish  band,  formed  of  small  spots.  Some  blackish  points  upon 
the  front.  The  feathers  of  the  back  and  wings  terminated  by  a 
band  of  pale  rufous,  upon  the  feathers  of  the  flanks  many  more 
cinereous  tints  and  those  deeper  colored.  Feet  blackish-brown. 
The  females  are  smaller  than  the  males. 


U^vt    , 


-,V;S«- 


BRANT,  OR  BRENT  GOOSE. 

(Anser  bervi'la,  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  320.     Richard.  North.  Zocl.  ii. 

p.  469.    Anser  torquatus,  Vieill.    Anas  bernicia,  Lin.  Lath.  Ind. 

sp.  32.     Tkmm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  824.     Wilson,  viii.  p.  131.  pi. 

72.  fig.  1.     Brent  Goose,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  478.    Le  Cra' 

vant,  Buff.  Ois.  ix.  p.  87.    PI.  Enlum.  342.    Phil.  Museum,  No. 

2704.) 
Sp.  Charact.  —  Blackish-ash ;  head,  neck,  and  breast  black ;  a  white 

patch  on  c iich  side  of  the  neck ;  beneath  whitish ;  bill  and  feet 

black ;  tail  of  16  feathers. 

The  Breiit  is  another  of  the  hardy  aquatic  birds  common 
to  the  hyperboreal  regions  of  both  continents.  They  breed 
in  great  numbers  on  the  coasts  and  islands  of  Hudson's 
Bay  and  the  Arctic  Sea,  and  are  rarely  seen  in  the  interior. 
In  Europe  they  proceed  to  the  most  northern  isles  of  Green- 
land, and  to  the  dreary  shores  of  Spitzbeigen.  In  winter 
they  are  very  abundant  in  Holland  and  in  Ireland,  as  well 


360 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


as  m  Shetland,  where  they  remain  until  spring.  In  Amer- 
ica, though  they  visit  in  the  course  of  their  migrations, 
most  of  the  Northern  and  Middle  States,  they  proceed  still 
farther  south,  to  spend  the  winter,  being  seen  on  the  Misf 
sissippi  nearly  to  New  Orleans.  They  retire  from  their 
natal  regions  in  the  north  in  September  ;  and  early  in  Oc- 
tober are  seen  to  arrive  in  great  numbers  about  Ipswich, 
Cape  Ann,  and  Cape  Cod  in  Massachusetts,  continuing  to 
come  till  the  month  of  November,  and  generally  appearing 
in  greater  numbers  after  the  occurrence  of  an  eastwardly 
storm.  In  hazy  weather  they  also  fly  low  and  diverge  into 
the  bays  and  inlets.  Many  of  these  wandering  flocks  pass 
ou  to  the  south  almost  without  any  delay,  usually  in  mar- 
.sh ailed  and  angular  lines,  but  sometimes  in  a  confused 
fl;ang,  loudly  gabbling  as  they  proceed.  Their  stay  here  is 
ci^rnnionly  so  short  that  it  is  necessary  to  ambuscade  in  huts 
mx  their  route  in  order  to  obtain  them.  The  course  of  their 
passage  is  remarkably  uniform,  and  instead  of  winding 
round  the  bays,  they  cross  over  the  narrow  necks  and  penin- 
sulas of  land  which  lie  in  their  southern  route,  as  if  in 
haste  to  arrive  at  some  particular  destination,  or  dissat- 
isfied with  the  prospect  of  fare.  They  continue  almost 
without  interruption  their  inflexible  course,  until  seduced 
by  the  mildness  of  the  climate  or  the  abundance  of  their 
food,  they  seem  inclined  to  take  up  their  permanent  winter 
residence  in  the  inlets  of  Long  Island,  and  the  sheltered 
bays  of  Now  Jersey ;  arriving,  according  to  Wilson,  in  Egg 
Harbour,  sometimes  as  early  as  the  20th  of  September,  or 
almost  without  the  inte'-misrion  of  any  interval,  but  for 
necessary  food  and  repc  o,  from  the  time  of  their  leaving 
the  shores  of  Hudson' ;  Bay.  The  iLst  flights,  still  ad- 
venturous and  roving,  generally  remain  here  only  a  few 
days,  and  then  pass  on  still  farther  to  the  south.  Flocks  con- 
tinue, however,  to  arrive  from  the  north,  and  many  remain  in 


BRANT,  OR  BRENT  GOOSE. 


361 


the  waters  of  New  Jersey  until  the  severe  weather  of  Decem- 
ber urges  them  to  seek  out  milder  regions.  On  recommenc- 
ing their  journey,  they  assemble  in  one  great  flight,  making 
an  extensive  spiral  sweep  some  miles  in  circuit,  to  reconnoi- 
tre their  route,  when  rising  at  length  high  in  the  air,  they 
steer  to  the  ocean,  and  continue  their  course  along  the  bays, 
or  even  out  at  sea  for  several  leagues,  till  they  arrive  again 
at  some  new  destination. 

The  Brent  feeds  usually  on  the  bars  at  low  water,  and 
now  and  then  also  in  the  marshes ;  their  common  fare  is  the 
laver,  (Ulva  laduca,  and  U.  latissima,)  and  other  tender 
marine  plants ;  they  now  and  then  also  eat  small  sheil-fish. 
In  the  spring  the  old  birds  are  generally  lean  and  ill 
flavored,  but  in  winter  they  are  justly  esteemed  as  a  deli- 
cacy, and  sell  at  a  high  price.  They  never  dive,  but  wade 
about  in  quest  of  their  food  at  the  recess  of  the  tide.  At 
the  time  of  high  water  they  swim  out  at  their  ease  in  the 
bay,  ranged  in  long  lines,  particularly  durmg  the  contin- 
uance of  calm  weather. 

The  voice  of  the  Brent  is  hoarse  and  honking,  and  when 
gabbling  in  company  almost  equals  the  yell  of  a  pack  of 
hounds.  When  pursued  or  nearly  approached,  in  a  state 
of  confinement,  they  hiss  like  common  Geese.  They  are 
often  quarrelsome,  amongst  each  other,  and  with  the  Ducks 
in  their  vicinity,  driving  the  latter  off  their  feeding  ground. 
They  never  dive  in  quest  of  food,  yet,  when  wing  broken, 
the  Brent  will  go  a  hundred  yards  or  more  at  a  stretch 
under  the  water ;  and  it  is  then  very  difficult  to  obtain.  A  bout 
the  middle  of  May  they  reappear  on  their  way  to  the  north ; 
but  at  this  time  rarely  stop  long,  unless  driven  in  by  stormy 
weather. 

The  navigator  Barentz  found  multitudes  sitting  on  their 
eggs,  about  the  2lst  of  June,  1595,  in  the  great  bay  called 
Wibe  Janz  Water ;  and,  to  his  amazement,  discovered  them 
31 


. 

fl 


sysi*i> 


wJiJ-''*te:^. 


362 


Web-footed  birds. 


to  be  the  Rotgansen,  which  his  countrymen,  the  Dutch,  snp* 
posed  to  have  been  generated  from  some  trees  in  Scotland, 
the  fruit  of  which,  when  ripe,  fell  into  the  sea,  and  were 
converted  into  Goslings.* 

The  Brent  is  about  2  feet  in  length ;  and  8  feet  6  inches  in  alar  ez* 
tent ;  from  the  bill  to  the  front  1  inch  3^  lines.  Head,  neck,  shoulders, 
and  swell  of  the  breast,  greyish-black.  Quills,  tertiaries,  rump,  and 
tail,  greenish-black.  Back,  scapulars,  and  outer  and  inner  wing 
coverts  clove-brown,  margined  with  yellowish-grey.  A  mottled  spot 
on  the  side  of  the  neck,  tail  coverts  above  and  below,  sides  of  the 
rump,  and  vent,  white.  Belly  yellowish-grey.  Flanks  transversely 
barred  with  bluish-grey  and  white.  Bill  and  feet  black,  the  former 
small  and  shorter  than  the  head.  Tail  coverts  as  long  as  the  tail, 
which  is  much  rounded. 


\\ 


HUTCHINS'S  BARNACLE  GOOSE. 

(Anser  Hutchinsii,  Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  470.  Anas  bemicla, 
0.  Richard.  Append.  Parry's  Second  Voy.  i.  p.  368.  Canada 
Goose,  Hearne,  Journey,  p.  439.) 

Br.  CnATtACT.  —  With  a  black  bill,  less  than  an  inch  and  a  half  in 
length  ;  a  white  kidney-shaped  patch  on  the  throat ;  upper  half  of 
the  neck  black,  the  throat  white. 

On  Captain  Parry's  second  voyage  several  flocks  of  Geese 
were  seen  on  Melville  Peninsula^  which  were  thought  to  be 
the  Anser  leucopsis  or  Barnacle,  but  which  the  Esquimaux 
said  were  the  males  of  the  Brent,  that,  during  the  breeding 
season,  separate  themselves  from  the  females.  A  number 
of  specimens  were  obtained,  all  of  which  proved  to  be  males, 
and,  in  the  Appendix  above  quoted,  Dr.  Richardson  de- 
scribed them  merely  as  a  variety  of  the  Brent,  but  from  ia- 


*  The  English  fbbled  the  same  of  the  Barnacle,  as  we  have  related  under  tbat 
article. 


HUTCniNS  8    BARNACLE    QOOSE. 


363 


formation  afterwards  obtained,  he  considered  them  as  be- 
longing to  a  different  species,  hitherto  confounded  with  the 
A.  eancuknsis.  In  Hudson's  Bay  they  are  well  known  by 
the  Cree  name  of  Apistiskeesh,  and  are  generally  thought 
by  the  residents  to  be  merely  a  small  kind  of  the  Canada 
Goose,  as  they  have  the  white  kidney-shaped  patch  on  the 
throat,  which  is  deemed  peculiar  to  that  species.  Their 
habits,  however,  are  dissimilar ;  the  Canada  Oeese  frequent- 
ing the  fresh-water  lakes  and  rivers  of  the  interior,  and 
feeding  chiefly  on  herbage ;  while  the  present  species  are 
always  found  on  the  sea  coast,  feeding  on  marine  plants, 
and  the  mollusca  which  adhere  to  them,  and  from  whence 
their  flesh  acquires  a  strong  fishy  taste.  In  form,  size,  and 
general  colors  of  the  plumage,  the  new  species  more  nearly 
resembles  the  Brent,  than  the  Canada  Goose.  It  differs, 
however,  from  the  former  in  having  the  white  reniform 
patch  on  the  throat  and  cheeks,  in  wanting  the  spotted 
white  mark  on  the  side  of  the  neck,  in  the  black  color 
terminating  4  inches  higher,  instead  of  including  the  swell 
of  the  upper  parts  of  the  back  and  breast,  and  in  the  white 
of  the  vent  being  more  extended.  It  is  totally  unlike  A, 
kucopsis  in  plumage,  and  has  a  larger  bill. 

This  species  of  Barnacle,  named  in  honor  of  Mr.  Hutch- 
ins,  and  from  whom  Pennant  and  Latham  derived  most  of 
their  information  respecting  the  birds  of  Hudson's  Bay, 
breeds  in  considerable  numbers  on  the  shores  and  islands 
of  the  Arctic  sea,  being  seldom  seen  in  the  interior,  and 
keep  near  the  sea  coast  in  their  migrations.  They  feed  on 
marine  plants,  and  mollusca,  as  well  as  on  grass  and  berrier<, 
in  common  with  the  A.  hemicla. 

Length  of  the  species  about  25  inches ;  the  wing  14 ;  the  bill  to 
the  front  1  inch  8i|  lines ;  tarsus  2  inches  5  lines.  The  head,  neck, 
rump  and  tail,  pitch  black ;  back,  and  both  surfaces  of  the  wings 
clove-brown,  the  edges  of  the  feathers  yellowish-grey  and  worn. 


-».     * 


w 


364 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


A  speck  Itcfore  the  eye,  the  under  eye-\id,  a  kidney-shaped  patch 
on  the  throat,  terminating  acutely  on  each  side  of  the  hind  head; 
a  band  patjsmg  over  the  upper  tail  coverts  and  forwards  by  the  sidei 
of  tlie  rump,  breast,  vent,  and  undiT  tail  coverts,  all  white.  Ab<^o- 
men  yellowish-grey,  edged  with  white.  Flanks  transversely  barred 
with  bluish-^rey  and  white.  Bill  and  feet  black.  Bill  higher  thaix 
wide  at  the  front,  shaped  much  like  that  of  the  Brent,  but  wider, 
the  conunissure  sti  .lighter,  and  the  teeth  of  the  upper  mandible  not 
appearinrp  externally.  Wings;  Ist  and  3d  quills  nearly  equal  to  the 
2d,  which  ia  t!ie  lonijfpst ;  the  spur  at  th(  angle  of  ilie  wing  nearly  as 
much  dov(  loix'd  as  m  Jl.  bcrnicla,  but  lesa  than  in  A.  canadensis  and 
A,  Icucopsis,  Tnil  of  14  feathers,  rounded  laterally  ;  the  middle  pair 
shorter  than  the  adjoining  ones,  and  scarcely  exceeding  the  outer.    - 


;»;..;*■ 


JEi-J 


'■'    >, 


« 


,!>>; 


"    -s     '         SWANS.     (C  YGNus,  iZay.; 

In  these  large  aquatic  birds  the  bill  is  at  base  higher  than  it  is 
broad,  gibbous,  partly  cylindric  above,  obtuse,  and  of  the  same 
breadtii  throughout ;  the  teeth  lamelliform ;  the  upper  mandible 
provided  with  a  nail,  and  curved  at  the  tip  ;  the  lower  shorter  and 
narrower.  Nostrils  in  the  middle  of  the  bill,  oval,  pervious,  cov- 
ered by  a  membrane.  The  tongue  thick  and  obtuse,  fringed  at  its 
pidos.  Head  small^  lora  naked ;  neck  exceedingly  long.  Feet 
placed  tiir  1  atk,  very  fihort  and  stout ;  tarsus  shorter  than  the  middle 
toe  ;  webs  hroad  and  entiie  ;  hind  toe  equal  tr  a  joint  of  the  middle 
one,  simple,  touchir  j  the  ground  merely  at  the  extremity.  Wings 
very  long,  when  folded,  the  primaries  scarcely  extend  beyond  the 
secondaries:  1st  and  4kh  quills  equal;  the  3d  and  3d  longest.  Tail 
wedge-shaped,  consisting  of  numerous  feathers. 

The  female  somewhat  smaller,  but  similar  to  the  male  in  plu- 
mage. The  young,  for  tw^  or  three  years  differ  from  the  adult.  The 
moult  is  simple,  annual,  and  protracted  in  its  duration.  The  plu- 
mage is  very  close,  thick,  soft  ;.  nd  light.     The  color  uniform. 

These  are  among  the  larget't  of  aquatic  birds,  dwelling  on  fresh 
waters,  rivers  or  lakes,  in  whi'ih  they  swim  with  facility,  aiding 
their  motion  often  through  the  yielding  element  and  the  %ir,  by 
spreading  out  their  wings  like  bending  sails :  indeed  they  surpass 
all  other  birds  in  grace  and  elegance  upon  the  water.    From  their 


SWANS. 


365 


patch 
.  head, 
«  Bidei 

Ab^o- 
barred 
ir  than 

wider, 
ble  not 
1  to  the 
early  as 
isis  and 
die  pair 
outer. 


\l 


:ian  it  is 
tie  same 
nnandible 
)rter  and 
ous,  cov- 
ed at  its 
Feet 
middle 
middle 
Wings 
^ond  the 
St.    Tail 

in  plu- 
t.  The 
The  pjtt- 
n.  • 

on  fresh 
aiding 
m  wr,  by 
surpass 
om  tiieir 


structure,  and  the  extreme  buoyancy  of  their  plumage,  they  are 
unable  to  dive,  but  oft«n  feed  in  the  water,  by  means  of  their  ex- 
tended necks,  which  allow  them  in  shallows  to  reach  the  bottom. 
Their  food  is  chiefly  vcgt-table,  but  tliey  also  devour  reptiles,  ospo- 
cially  fVogs,  and  other  small  aquatic  animals,  for  which  they  search 
in  the  mud  beneath  the  water,  scarcely  ever  preying  on  fish,  but 
rather  protecting  tlicm  by  feeding  on  the  enemies  of  the  firy  :  and 
hence  for  their  unparalleled  beauty  and  elegance,  are  among  the 
choicest  decorations  of  artificial  water  pieces.  They  are  strictly 
monogamous;  building  on  the  ground  in  the  vir-nity  of  Avater,  or  in 
secluded  islets.    The  nest  is  composed  of  a  f  marsh  plants,  or 

any  >ther  loose  materials  in  the  vicinity,  rai  .u.  i  mound.     The 

male  is  very  vigilant  in  protecting  his  ma  while  sitting,  he 
shares  with  her  all  the  parental  cares ;  and  ii'  d  while  swim- 

ming, without  other  convenient  means  (  '  escape,  ht  ^  capable  of 
inflicting  severe  blows  with  his  wings.  They  walk  badly ;  and  at 
rest  place  one  foot  on  the  back.  Their  fligiit,  when  elevated,  is  rapid 
and  protracted,  and  they  seldom  alight  but  in  the  water. 

The  species  are  few,  but  distributed  over  the  whole  world.  They 
appear  to  hold  an  intermediate  character  between  the  Geese  and 
Ducks,  but  are  more  closely  allied  to  the  latter. 


3V 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


11.25 


IA4|2^    |2.5 

■50   •^^     MI^H 

m 

|U    11.6 


m 


^^"^V' 


> 


^V 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


33  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


WILD,  OR  WHISTLING  SWAN. 

(Cygnus  ferns,  Raii,  Synops.  p.  136.  A.  2.  Montagd.  Diet.  Orn. 
[ed.  alt.]  p.  543.  C  musicvs,  Bechst.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  321. 
Anas  Cygnus  f ems,  Lin.  Faun.  Suec.  No.  107.  Anas  Cygnus, 
Lin.  Syst.  i.  p.  104.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  838.  sp.  1.  Temh.  Man. 
d'Orn.  ii.  p.  828.  Whistling  or  Wild  Swan,  Lath.  Penn.  Brit. 
Zool.  p.  149.  t.  Q.  Edwards,  Glean,  tab.  150.  Whistling  Swan, 
Fenn.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  469.  Le  Cygne  Sauvage,  Buff.  Ois.  iz.  p. 
3.  Der  Singschwan,  Meyer,  Tasachenb.  ii.  p.  498.  Nauh.  Nachtr. 
tab.  13.  fig.  27.  Cygno  Salvatico,  Stor.  Degli.  Ucc.  v.  pi.  554. 
Phil.  Museum,  No )  *"''  ^*^'   ri  wp^ 

Sp.  Charact.  —  White,  top  of  the  head  somewhat  yellowish;  bill 
black,  without  a  tubercle  ;  the  bare  space  round  the  eye  yellow ; 
tail  of  20  feathers.  —  The  young  pale  ash  color,  and  with  the  naked 
space  round  the  eye  flesh  colored ;  feet  black. 

The  Whistling  Swan  retires  into  the  Arctic  regions  to 
pass  in  more  security  the  period  of  reproduction,  during  the 
short  but  brilliant  summers  which  there  prevail.     In  autumn 


WILD.   OR  WHISTLING   SWAN. 


307 


they  migrate  over  both  continents,  and  in  winter  are  some- 
times numerous  in  the  Bay  of  Chesapeake.  Flocks  are 
seen  and  heard  to  pass  also  through  various  parts  of  the 
interior  of  America,  and  they  are  no  where  more  abundant 
at  that  season  than  in  Missouri,  Arkansa,  and  Louisiana, 
to  which  countries,  by  the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi, 
they  are  seen  to  repair  in  lofty  and  numerous  flights  to  the 
very  close  of  winter,  protracting  their  stay  sometimes  until 
driven  to  move  by  the  severest  frosts.  In  the  winter  of 
1810, 1  saw  two  of  these  graceful  birds  in  a  state  of  domes- 
tication  near  St  Louis,  (Missouri)  which  were  obtained  with 
several  others  at  the  same  time,  in  consequence  of  the 
extreme  cold.  The  thermometer  falling  to  15°  below  zero, 
they  were  unable  to  bear  the  cutting  severity  of  the  weather, 
and  fell  disabled,  accompanied  by  several  Wild  Ducks, 
into  an  adjoining  field,  where  a  few  survived  and  be- 
came tame.  In  summer  they  are  seen  in  vast  numbers 
inhabiting  the  great  lakes  and  marshes  of  the  Tartarian 
and  Siberian  deserts  :  and  resort  in  great  flocks  to  winter 
around  the  Caspian  and  Euxine  seas.  At  the  same  season 
they  frequent  the  mild  climate  of  Greece,  Lydia,  Anatolia, 
and  Egypt.  In  Europe  they  proceed  as  far  north  as  Iceland, 
where  they  seek  out  the  remote  lakes  among  the  mountains. 
According  to  Dr.  Richardson  they  also  breed  at  Igloolik 
near  the  northern  extremity  of  Melville  Peninsula.  A  few 
pairs,  according  to  Fleming,  formerly  bred  in  the  Orkneys, 
but  jealous  of  intrusion,  have  now  probably  deserted  the 
shores  of  the  Ultima  Thule.  They  are  also  seen  in  winter 
idonor  the  sea  coasts  of  Holland  and  France. 

Whistling  Swans  arrive  in  Hudson's  Bay  about  the  end 
of  May,  in  small  flocks  accompanied  by  the  Geese,  and 
propagate  in  great  numbers  along  the  shores,  islands,  and 
inland  lakes.  These,  distinguished  by  their  note  and  in- 
ferior size  from  the   following,  are  called  Hoopers^  and 


968 


X 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


]l^ 


mostly  frequent  the  sea  coast.  The  Cygnets  are  esteemed 
a  delicate  dish,  and  the  full  grown  young  are  also  excel- 
lent food.  The  aborigines  of  the  interior  make  much  use 
of  the  down  of  the  Swan  as  a  matter  of  decoration,  in 
which  taste  they  have  also  been  very  successfully  followed 
by  civilized  nations.  Among  the  Icelanders  they  are  an 
object  of  chase,  in  the  moulting  season,  which  takes  place 
in  August,  afler  rearing  their  young ;  they  are  pursued  by 
dogs,  and  on  horseback,  the  animals  being  purposely  trained 
to  pass  nimbly  over  bogs  and  marshes.  The  eggs,  in  the 
spring,  as  well  as  the  flesh  in  autumn,  are  there  much  used 
as  food,  and  the  feathers  form  an  article  of  trade.  In  Kam- 
tschatka,  where  they  likewise  abound  and  breed,  they  are 
taken  and  used  in  the  same  manner.  They  nest  on  the 
ground  in  the  rank  herbage  near  the  water;  laying  5  to 
7  olivaceous-green  eggs,  appearing  as  if  covered  with  a 
whitish  incrustation.  Their  food  consists  of  aquatic  plants 
and  insects. 

The  Whistling  Swan,  though  commonly  tamed  and  do- 
mesticated in  Russia,  has  not  the  grace  and  elegance  of 
the  Mute  species,  as  instead  of  the  beautiful  curve  of  the 
neck,  it  swims  with  it  erect.  Its  vocal  organs  are  also 
remarkably  assisted  by  the  elaborate  structure  of  the  tra- 
chea, which  instead  of  passing  on  direct  to  the  lungs,  as  in 
the  Mute  Swan,  forms  two  circumvolutions  within  the 
chest,  like  a  real  trumpet,  before  terminating  in  the  respira- 
tory organ,  and  it  is  thus  enabled  to  utter  a  powerful  and 
sonorous  note.  The  common  Tame  Swan,  on  the  contrary, 
is  the  most  silent  of  birds ;  bejnc  ^able  to  utter  any  louder 
noise  than  a  hiss.  This  deficie  of  voice  is,  however, 
amply  made  up  by  beauty  of  form,  and  insinuating  grace. 
Its  pure,  spotless,  and  splendid  attire ;  its  stately  attitude ; 
the  ease  and  elegance,  with  which,  like  a  bark,  it  sits  and 
moves  majestically  on  the  water,  as  if  proud  and  conscious 


W 


1 


f 


WILD,   OR   WHISTLING   8WAN.        ' 

of  its  beauty;  aiding  its  pompous  progress  by  gently  raising 
its  snow  white  wings  to  catch  the  sportive  breeze,  wherein 
it  wantons  with  luxuriant  ease,  queen  of  its  native  element. 
In  short,  all  conspires  to  shroud  the  Swan,  however  mute, 
with  its  long  acknowledged  and  classic  perfection.  And  as 
if  aware  of  its  high  and  ancient  pretensions,  it  still,  as  in 
former  ages,  frequents  the  now  neglected  streams  of  the 
Meander  and  the  Strymon ;  with  an  air  of  affected  lan- 
guor they  are  yet  seen  silently  sailing  by  the  groves  of 
Paphos,  though  no  longer  cherished  by  its  Beauteous 
dueen :  —  and  still,  as  ever,  altered  as  the  scene  may  be  to 
nature's  rudest  form, 

The  Swan,  with  arched  neck  '  ^ 

Between  her  white  wings  mantling  proudly,  rows 
Her  state  with  oary  feet  j     »    »    »    •    * 

and  knows  no  change  but  that  of  season. 

The  Hooper  emits  his  notes  only  when  flying,  or  calling 
on  his  mate  or  companions;  the  sound  is  something  like 
'whoogh,  'whoogh,  very  loud  and  shrill,  but  by  no  means  dis- 
agreeable, when  heard  high  in  the  air,  and  modulated  by 
the  winds.  The  natives  of  Iceland  indeed  compare  it,  very 
flatteringly,  to  the  notes  of  a  violin.  Allowance  musi  be 
made,  however,  for  this  predilection,  when  it  is  remembered 
that  they  hear  this  cheerful  clarion  at  the  close  of  a  long 
and  gloomy  winter,  and  when,  in  the  return  of  the  Swan, 
they  listen  to  the  harbinger  of  approaching  summer;  every 
note  must  be,  therefore,  melodious,  which  presages  the 
speedy  thaw,  and  the  return  of  life  (ind  verdure  to  their 
gelid  coast.       «  >■  '     'H 

It  is  to  this  species  alone  that  the  ancients  could  attribute 
the  power  of  melody ;  —  the  singular  faculty  of  tuning  its 
dying  dirge  from  among  the  reedy  marshes  of  its  final  re- 
treat. In  a  low,  plaintive,  and  stridulous  voice,  in  the 
moment  of  death,  it  murmured  forth  its  last  prophetic  sigh. 


iiiLTOIinMilliHilW  ? 


w» 


WKB-rOOTED  BIRDS. 


i 


These  doleful  stf  ains  were  heard  at  the  dawn  of  day,  or 

when  the  winds  and  waves  were  still ;  and  like  the  syrinx  oi 

Psn,  were  in  all  probability  nothing  more  than  the  murmuni 

and  sighs  of  the  wind  through  the  marshes  and  forests 

graced  and  frequented  by  these  elegant  aquatic  birds.    The 

Mute  Swan  never  visits  the  Padus,  styled  OUmfenUy  firom 

the  numbers  of  the  present  species  which  frequent  ita 

waters.     It  is  also  almost  equally  certain  that  none  but  thci 

pvesent  is  ever  seen  on  the  Cayster,  in  Lydia,  each  of  theni 

streams  celebrated  by  the  poets,  as  the  resort  of  Swans. 

Haud  wcas  Eriduni  ttagnis  ripave  Caystri 
Innatat  albiu  Olor,  pronoque  immobile  corpus 
Dat  fluvio :  et  pedibus  tacitia  emigrat  in  undas. 

SiLius  Italicds.  Lib.  14. 

The  Hooper  is  about  5  feet  in  length :  the  alar  extent  7  feet  8 
inches.  Length  of  the  bill  above,  4  inches  4^  lines ;  the  tarsus  4 
inches ;  the  middle  toe  and  nail  6^  inches.  Wholly  white  except 
the  head  and  nape,  which  are  very  slightly  tinted  with  yellowish. 
Bin  black,  covered  at  ito  biMe  with  a  yellow  cere,  which  surrounds 
also  the  region  of  the  eyes.    Iris  brown.    Feet  black. 

In  the  ymmg,  the  whole  plumage  is  of  a  pale  g^ey ;  the  fore  part 
of  the  bill  dull  black,  with  the  cere  and  naked  space  round  the  eyea 
livid  flesh  color.  The  feet  reddish-grey.  In  the  second  moult  it  ap< 
pears  already  in  whitish  plumage. 


TRUMPETER  SWAN. 


(Cygnut  hueeituUor,  Richardson,  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  464.  Keetehe* 
i§apee»keWf  Crxe  Indians.  The  Trumpeter,  Law  son.  Hist.  Carol, 
p.  146.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  White i  head  glossed  above  with  chestnut;  bill 
entirely  black,  without  a  tubercle ;  tail  of  24  feathers ;  the  feet 
black.  V 

According  to  Richardson  this  is  the  most  common  Swan 
ill  the  interior  of  the  fur  countries,  which  it  frequents  to 


TRVMPETSR    SWAN. 


871 


breed,  as  far  south  as  the  6l8t  parallel,  but  principally  within 
the  Arctic  circle.  In  its  migrations  it  is  generally  seen  to 
precede  the  Oeese  by  a  few  dajrs.  It  is  to  the  Trumpeter 
that  the  bulk  of  the  Swan-skins  imported  by  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  belong.  Lawson  remarks  that  they  arrive  in 
great  flocks  in  Carolina  in  autumn,  and  frequent  'the  rirers 
and  fresh  waters,  retiring  thence  to  breed  in  the  north  aM 
early  as  February.  This  species,  remarkable  for  its  loud 
clarion,  descends  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  in  great  flights 
at  the  approach  of  winter.  Hearne,  who  also  observed  this 
Trumpeter,  remarks  **  I  have  heard  them,  in  serene  even^ 
kigs,  after  sunset,  make  a  noise  not  very  unlike  that  of  a 
French  Horn,  but  entirely  divested  of  every  note  that  con- 
stituted  melody,  and  have  often  been  sorry  that  it  did  not 
forebode  their  death."  The  trachea  is  well  supplied  with 
the  means  of  producing  this  hollow  clang,  a  fold  of  it 
entering  a  protuberance  on  the  dorsal  or  interior  aspect  of 
tl\e  sternum  at  its  upper  part,  which  is  wanting  both  in  the 
Cygnus  ferus  (the  preceding  species)  and  the  C.  Bewickii  : 
in  other  respects  the  windpipe  is  distributed  through  the 
sternum  nearly  as  in  the  latter  of  these  species. 

The  length  of  the  Trumpeter  Swan  is  about  70  inches ;  the  wing 
26 ;  the  bill  above,  4  inches  11  lines ;  the  tarsus  4;^  inches ;  the 
middle  toe  and  its  nail  6  inches  9  lines.  —  The  color  white,  the  fore- 
head alone  tinged  with  reddish-orange.  Bill,  cere,  and  legs  entirely 
black.  The  bill  nearly  resembling  that  of  C.  ferus  in  form,  though 
longer  and  rather  more  depressed.  Wings :  third  quill  longest. 
Some  specimens,  it  appears,  have  the  crown  and  cheeks  bri^t 
chestnut.  


:i 


4^ 


872 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


BEWICK'S  SWAN. 

(Cygniu  Bemckii,  Yarrel.  Lin.  Transact,  xvi  p.  445.  (Jan.  1880.) 
Sjblby,  lUustr.  of  Ornith.  vi.  pi.  05.  Richard,  and  Swaimi.  North. 
Zool.  ii.  p.  465.) 

8p.  Charact.  —  White ;   bill  yellow  at  the  base  posterior  to  th« 
nostrils ;  tail  of  18  feathers ;  the  feet  black. 

This  Swan  breeds  on  the  small  lakes  of  the  coasts  and 
islands  of  the  Arctic  Sea,  and  is  seen  in  the  interior  of  the 
fur  countries  while  on  its  passage  only ;  its  principal  route  is 
along  the  coast  of  Hudson's  Bay.  It  arrives  with  the 
latest  of  the  migratory  birds  in  the  spring,  while  the  Trum- 
peters are,  with  the  exception  of  the  Eagles,  the  earliest.  ''^ 
They  winter,  according  to  Lewis  and  Clarke,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia,  where  they  were  seen  in  very  great 
numbers.  Captain  Lyon  describes  its  nest  as  built  of  moss- 
peat,  nearly  six  feet  long,  four  and  three  quarters  wide,  and 
two  feet  high  externally ;  the  cavity  a  foot  and  a  half  in 
diameter.  The  eggs  were  brownish-white,  slightly  clouded 
with  a  darker  tint. 

The  length  of  this  species  is  about  55  inches ;  of  the  bill  above, 
3i  inches ;  tarsus  3  inches  9  lines ;  the  middle  toe  and  nail  5  inches 
3  lines :  extent  of  wing  6  feet  1  inch.  Pure  white,  except  the  crown, 
nape,  and  upper  parts  of  the  neck,  which  are  deeply  tinged  with 
reddish-orange,  and  the  belly  which  is  slightly  glossed  with  the 
same.  Bill  black  ;  cere  orange  (that  color  entirely  behind  the  nos« 
trils.)  Irides  orange.  Feet  black.  —  Old  birds  are  entirely  white, 
and  young  ones  grey.  The  2d  and  3d  quills  equal  and  longest* 
Tail  wedge-formed,  of  18  feathers. 


.■   'I -v^v '■;■',. f^ 


;'4.^V^:-- 


DUCK8. 


373 


DUCKS.    (Anab.»  Lin.) 

With  the  bill  broader  than  high  at  the  hue,  widening  more  or 
bM  at  the  extremity,  somewhat  flattened,  obtiue  and  much  depreeeed 
towards  the  point ;  marginal  teeth  lamelliform,  weak :  upper  man- 
dible convex,  curved,  and  fumiahed  with  a  slender  nail  at  the  end } 
the  lower  narrower,  flat,  and  entirely  covered  by  the  margins  of  the 
upper.  Nostrils  basal,  approaching  together,  oval,  open,  pervious, 
and  partly  closed  by  a  membrane.  Tongue  stout,  and  obtuse,  fringed 
at  the  sides.  The  neck  about  the  length  of  the  body.  Fkkt  nearly 
central,  but  rather  small  and  weak ;  tarsus  about  equal  with  the 
middle  toe,  not  very  much  compressed ;  webs  entire  ;  the  hind  toe 
equal  in  length  with  a  joint  of  the  middle  one,  simple,  touching  the 
ground  at  tip.  Wings  moderate,  acute ;  the  primaries  long ;  the  Ist 
and  2d,  or  2d  only,  longest.    The  tail  of  from  14  to  16  feathers. 

The  plumage  of  the  female  different  from  the  adult  male ;  the 
young  more  or  less  resemble  the  female.  The  moult  takes  place 
twice  in  the  year,  in  the  female  only  partially,  in  the  male  com- 
pletely, assuming  towards  the  end  of  summer  and  after  the  close  of 
the  breeding  season  the  humble  dress  of  the  female.  The  plumage 
thicker  than  in  the  Geese,  but  less  so  than  in  the  Swans  6md  FtUigu- 
Ub,  There  is  a  conspicuous  bright  colored  patch,  usually  called  the 
speculum,  on  the  wing  in  most  of  the  species.  The  colors  of  the 
female  are  generally  dull  and  greyish.  The  windpipe  or  trachea 
swelling  out  at  its  bifurcation  into  cartilaginous  cavities. 

These  well  known  birds  are  eminently  aquatic,  and  migratory, 
approaching  the  sea  coast  in  flocks  during  autumn  and  winter,  but 
frequent  fresh  water  ponds,  lakes  and  rivers,  particula:  ;  I'lose  with 
grassy  and  sedgy  borders,  preferring  shallow  places  in  v.  liich  they 
can/athom  the  bottom  with  the  bill  without  the  aid  of  deeply  diving, 
to  which  they  only  have  recourse  in  the  breeding  season,  or  when 
compelled  by  necessity  to  avoid  their  enemies ;  they  therefore 
usually  avoid  deep  waters.  While  swimming,  which  they  perform 
with  singular  address  and  facility,  they  stretch  forward  the  body  and 
elevate  the  tail.  They  walk  comparatively  well,  with  the  feet  close 
together,  but  waddle,  and  do  not  poise  the  body  with  the  same  ease 


*  From  the  Greek  name  for  tbe  Duck  vtiaaa,  from  veu  to  mim. 

32 


374 


WEB-FOOTED   BIROI. 


"  ( 


!> 


u  the  Oeeie.  Their  flight  is  comparatively  light,  awifl,  high  and 
whistling.  They  are  somewhat  nocturnal,  feeding  and  travelling 
often  by  night  or  in  slender  twilight.  Their  food  is  principally  veg- 
etable, plants,  and  seeds,  to  which  they  also  add  aquatic  animals,  and 
sometimes  soft  bodied  insects  and  mollusoa.  They  are  disposed  to  poly- 
gamy :  breeding  in  the  grass  often  near  water,  and  some  in  the  hollows 
of  decayed  trees.  The  nest  is  often  lined  with  down,  and  the  eggs  are 
numerous.  On  the  female  alone  devolves  the  whole  charge  of  incu- 
bation and  the  rearing  of  the  young  :  she  covers  her  eggs  as  often 
as  she  has  necessity  to  leave  them,  with  the  down  or  lining  of  her 
nest,  and  is  very  secret  in  her  movements  and  her  retreat. 

The  species  are  numerous,  and  spread  over  the  whole  globe  to 
both  extremities,  but  they  are  most  abundant  in  the  temperate 
regions,  and  generally  retire  in  our  hemisphere  far  north  to  breed. 


Subgenus. —>  Spathule A,   Fleming.    (Spatula, 
Rhtnchaspis,  Leach.  Bonap.) 


Bote. 


The  bill  long,  without  a  fleshy  protuberance ;  the  upper  mandible 
semicylindric,  broad  and  somewhat  orbicular  at  the  extremity,  the 
nail  small,  and  much  incurved :  lamelliform  teeth,  very  long  and 
slender.  The  head  wholly  feathered.  —  The  female  differing  greatly 
from  the  male. 

These  feed  chiefly  on  small  aquatic  animals,  minute  shell-fish  and 
insects,  which  they  sometimes  obtain  by  sifting  the  mud  through 
their  long  and  pectinate  teeth ;  they  also  at  times  collect  tender 
marine  and  fluviatile  vegetables.  The  bill  is  very  sensitive,  ex- 
hibiting when  dry  a  complicated  nervous  surface. 


f      ,?'*    ••/  f 


f   " 


','.    >■ 


■   1 

!    - 


■HOVELER. 


376 


SHOVELER. 

(Jhuu  elypeata,  Liir.  Lath.  ap.  60.  Wilson,  yiii.  p.  65.  pi.  67.  fig. 
7.  fioNAP.  Synopi.  No.  3S3.  Richard  and  Swains.  North.  Zool. 
U.  p.  489.  Tbmm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  842.  Anaa  rtAms,  Omil. 
■p.  81.  [var.  young  male.]  Shoveler  Duck,  Piwii.  Arct.  Zool.  ii. 
No.  485.  Le  Sauchet,  Buff.  PI.  Enlum.  971,  and  972.  [male  and 
female.]  Phil.  Museum,  No.  2734.) 

Sp.  Chakact.  —  With  a  green  spot  or  mirror  on  the  wings,  mar- 
gined above  with  white,  and  below  with  black  ;  the  wing  coverts 
light  blue.  —  Male  brown  :  head  and  neck  green ;  the  belly  rufous 
chestnut.  Female  and  young  wholly  brownish,  varied  with  whitish, 
rufous,  and  blackish.  if 

^  The  Shoveler,  remarkable  by  the  broadness  of  its  bill,  is 
an  inhabitant  of  the  northern  parts  of  both  continents ; 
according  to  Richardson,  frequenting  chiefly  the  clear  lakes 
of  the  hyperboreal  districts,  selecting  for  their  breeding  place 
the  Barren  Grounds,  where  they  remain  to  pass  the  summer, 
appearing  in  numbers  in  the  more  southern  and  woody 
country,  only  in  the  spring  and  autumn  when  migrating. 
Early  in  October  they  visit  the  small  fresh  water  lakes  and 
marshes  near  the  sea  in  Massachusetts,  and  in  the  course  of 
the  winter  continue  south  to  the  extremity  of  the  Union,  pene- 
trating  into  Mexico  and  along  the  coast  of  the  Gulf  to 
Vera  Cruz,  and  perhaps  still  further  in  quest  of  subsistence, 
and  shelter  from  the  cold.  They  also  inhabit  Norway, 
Sweden,  and  Russia,  and  are  found  even  in  Kamtschatka  in 
the  summer.  They  are  very  abundant  in  the  marshes, 
lakes,  and  rivers  of  Holland,  and  as  birds  of  passage  visit 
France,  Germany  and  England.  Soon  after  March,  accor- 
ding to  Baillon,  they  disperse  through  the  fens  in  France  to 
breed,  and  select  the  same  places  with  the  Summer  Teal, 
choosing  with  them  large  tufts  of  rushes,  making  a  nest  of 
withered  grass  in  the  most  boggy  and  difficult  places  of 


876 


WCB-rOOTED   BIROS. 


access,  near  waters.  The  eggs  are  12  to  14,  of  a  very  pale 
greenish-yellow  ;  the  female  sits  24  or  25  days.  The  young, 
in  consequence  of  the  great  disproportion  of  the  bill,  at  that 
period,  hare  a  most  uncouth  and  awkward  appearance, 
seeming  to  be  oppressed  by  its  weight,  and  perpetually  in- 
clined  to  rest  it  upon  the  breast.  They  run  about  and 
twim,  however,  as  soon  as  hatched,  and  are  carefully  attend- 
ed by  the  parent,  who  incessantly  guards  them  from  the 
surprise  of  ravenous  birds.  On  these  occasions,  when  the 
danger  becomes  unavoidable,  the  young  are  seen  to  squat 
silently  among  the  grass,  while  the  old  birds  run  off  and 
dive.  Their  cry  has  been  compared  to  that  of  a  rattle 
turned  By  small  jerks  in  the  hand. 

The  Shoveler  is  considered  one  of  the  most  tender  and 
delicate  flavored  Ducks,  growing  very  fat  in  winter.  Their 
usual  food  is  said  to  be  small  fish  and  insects ;  rarely  vege- 
tables and  seeds.  In  a  pair  of  the  young  which  I  examined, 
that  were  killed  in  Fresh  Pond  in  this  vicinity,  the  stomach 
contained  many  fragments  of  a  very  delicate  divaricated 
nnall  green  Fucus,  minute  Scirpi  plucked  up  by  the  roots, 
also  fragments  of  some  Chara,  with  minute  ^atica  and 
Anomia  shells  quite  comminuted,  and  a  portion  of  gravel. 
We  see  therefore,  that  the  remarkable  structure  of  the  bill 
in  this  species,  is  no  way  generally  indicative  of  any  pecu- 
liar habit  of  feeding.  The  labyrinth  in  the  trachea  of  the 
male  is  small,  and  its  voice  probably  proportionately  feeble. 

The  Shoveler  is  about  31i|  inches  in  length  ;  the  folded  wings  9j| 
inches ;  length  of  the  bill  above,  3  inches  A^  lines ;  tarsus  1  inch  5 
lines. — JlfaZ«,  with  the  head,  adjoining  half  of  the  neck,  medial 
stripe  to  the  interscapulars,  the  whole  back,  interior  scapulars,  and 
primaries,  umber-brown.  Sides  of  the  head,  the  neck,  and  crest, 
glossed  with  duck-green:  the  rump  and  tail  coverts,  above  and 
below,  with  blackish-green.  Lower  half  of  the  neck,  the  breast, 
shoulders,  shorter  scapulars,  ends  of  the  greater  wing  coverts,  and 
sides  of  the  rump,  white ;  longer  scapulars^  striped  with  pale  blue. 


■HOTELBR. 


877 


white  and  blaokith-brown.  Letter  ooyerUi  pale  blue.  Speoulum 
(or  wing  ipot)  brilliant  graM-green,  broadly  bordered  abore  and  nar- 
rowiy  edged  below  with  white ;  bounded  interiorly  with  greenish- 
black.  Belly  and  flanka  deep  orange-brown,  the  latt«r  waved  poi* 
teriorly  with  black.    Bill  black.    Legi  oraage. 

The/emaZ«  is  liyer-brown  above,  with  broad  bordon  of  pale  wood- 
brc  wn ;  beneath  pale  wood-brown  with  obecnre  liver^brown  marks. 
In  this  sex  is  also  wanting  the  dark-brown  and  green  colors  of  the 
heati,  rump,  and  tall  eorerta,  the  white  of  the  neck,  breast,  sides  of 
the  tump,  and  scapulars,  and  also  the  orange-brown  of  the  belly. 
The  lesser  wing  coverts  are  slightly  glossed  with  pale  blue,  and  the 
speculum  is  less  vivid  than  in  the  male. 


^       Subgenus. — Boschas.  Sieainson.  Anas.  Bonap. 

Thb  biU  of  moderate  dimensions,  nearly  of  the  same  breadth 
throughout,  and  without  any  fleshy  protuberance  ;  the  teeth  small, 
and  comparatively  coarse.    The  head  wholly  feathered. 

The  sexes  difier  much  in  their  plumage. 

The  Ducks,  properly  so  called,  feed  on  tender  aquatic  plants, 
chiefly  seeds  and  grain;  also  on  spawn,  fry,  moUusca  and  other 
aquatic  animals. 


32* 


>.• 


4m '         COMMON  DUCK,  or  MALLARD. 

(Anas  domestica,  Richard,  and  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  442. 

Anas  boschas,  Linn.  Lath.  Ind.  sp.  49.  Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p. 

835.     Wilson,  viii.  p.  113.  pi.  70.  fig.  7.  [male.]  Bonap.  Synops. 

No.  333.     The  Mallard,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  494.  Le  Canard 

Sauvagc,  Buff.  Ois.  ix.  p.  115.  tab.  7  and  8.   PI.  Enlum.  776.  and 
'  777.    Boschas  major,  Ray.  Syn.  A.  1, 150,1.    Phil.  Museum,  No. 

2864.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Speculum  purple  with  green  reflections,  bounded 

with  black  and  white  ;  rump  blackish  ;  tail  of  16  feathers.  — Male, 

with  the  head  and  neck  green  ;  a  white  collar  on  the  neck ;  the 

i  middle  tail  coverts  recurved.    Female  and  young  wholly  brownish, 

varied  with  yellowish  and  blackish.  •  :,>  ,,    -  , 

The  Mallard,  or  original  of  our  domestic  Duck,  like  so 
many  other  species,  is  common  to  most  parts  of  the  north- 
ern hemisphere.  As  a  bird  of  passage,  in  spring  and 
autumn,  it  is  seen  in  every  part  of  the  United  States,  and 


COMMON   DUCK,    OR   MALLARD. 


379 


indeed  inhabits  more  or  less  the  whole  continent,  from  the 
gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  68th  parallel  in  the  fur  countries  of  the 
Canadian  ^vilderness.  In  Europe  it  is  met  with  every 
where,  up  to  the  dreary  climates  of  Greenland,  where  many 
even  pass  the  greater  part  of  the  winter.  Avoiding  the  sea 
coast,  it  is  but  rarely  that  the  Mallard  visits  this  vicinity, 
retiring  south  by  an  interior  route.  They  breed  in  the  in- 
land woody  districts  of  the  fur  countries,  and  more  or  less 
through  all  the  intermediate  space  as  far  south  as  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  England  also,  as  well  as  in  Sweden,  Denmark, 
Germany,  and  all  parts  of  the  vast  dominions  of  Russia,  no 
less  than  Arctic  Europe,  and  the  Aleutian  Islands  in  the 
north  Pacific,  the  Wild  Duck  is  known  to  breed.  They 
nest  commonly  on  the  borders  of  rivers  and  lakes,  some- 
times at  a  considerable  distance  from  water,  amongst  reeds, 
grass,  or  in  fields  and  copses,  according  to  the  ^conve- 
nience of  the  locality,  and  occasionally  even  upon  trees 
impending  over  waters.  For  its  nest  it  scrapes  together  a 
small  quantity  of  such  dry  weeds  as  happen  to  be  con- 
tiguous, and  lays  from  10  to  18  eggs  of  a  bluish-white.  At 
the  time  of  incubation,  the  female  plucks  the  down  from  her 
breast  to  line  the  nest,  and  frequently  covers  the  eggs  when 
she  leaves  them.  -«?  i ^^^  r ks  n^a^a  _  y 

Although  it  is  most  natural  for  all  those  birds,  whose 
young  run  as  soon  as  they  are  hatched,  to  deposit  their 
eggs  on  the  ground,  in  the  Duck  we  have  some  curious 
exceptions.  It  is  asserted  by  a  person  of  veracity  in 
England,  that  a  half  domesticated  Duck  was  known  to  nest 
in  a  tower,  where  she  hatched  her  young,  and  brought  them 
down  in  safety  to  a  piece  of  water  at  a  considerable  distance. 
Mr.  Tunstall  mentions  one,  at  Etchingham,  in  Sussex, 
which  was  found  sitting  upon  9  eggs,  on  an  oak  25  feet 
froui  the  ground,  and  in  another  instance  one  was  known  to 
take  possession  of  the  nest  of  a  Hawk   in   a  large  oak. 


380 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


Though  believed  to  be  monogamous,  the  fact  is  doubtful,  as/ 
during  the  season  of  incubation,  the  Mallards  are  seen  to 
congregate  apart  from  the  Ducks  as  among  other  polygamous 
birds.  Indeed,  so  litde  is  the  male  interested  in  the  fate  of 
the  brood  he  has  procreated,  that  the  female,  as  incubation 
advances,  is  assiduous  to  hide  herself  from  the  company  of 
her  indifferent  mate :  she  steals  to  her  nest  with  caution,  and 
sits  on  her  eggs  with  the  greatest  pertinacity  and  instinctive 
affection.  When  the  young  are  hatched,  in  situations 
remote  from  water,  the  parent  is  seen  to  transport  them 
to  it  by  carrying  them  gently  in  her  bill.  In  the  evening, 
the  mother  retires  into  the  reeds,  and  broods  her  young 
under  her  wings  for  the  night.  Almost  from  the  moment  of 
hatching  the  ducklings  swim  and  dive  with  the  greatest 
address,  employing  themselves  oflen  in  catching  gnats  and 
other  insects  on  which  they  at  first  principally  feed,  but 
though  so  alert  and  well  provided  for  their  aquatic  life,  their 
aerial  progress  and  the  growth  of  their  wings  is  very  tardy, 
these  continuing  short  and  misshapen  for  near  six  weeks,  and 
it  can  scarcely  attempt  to  fly  in  less  than  three  months. 
This  protracted  infancy  necessarily  indicates  the  necessity 
of  pairing  early  in  the  season,  and  in  the  milder  parts  of 
Europe,  the  males,  jealous  and  quarrelsome  with  each  other, 
begin  towards  the  close  of  February  already  to  address  their 
mates. 

Wild  Ducks  at  all  times  show  more  activity  in  the  night 
than  in  the  day.  They  feed,  migrate,  arrive  and  depart, 
chiefly  in  the  evening,  and  in  the  night.  In  the  dusk,  the 
rustling  of  their  wings  often  alone  marks  their  prc^ess. 
Their  flight  is  generally  in  the  form  of  a  wedge  or  two  con- 
verging lines  ( |>  ) ;  and  being  very  cautious,  they  never 
alight  until  they  have  wheeled  several  times  round  the  spot,  as 
if  to  survey  any  lurking  danger  that  may  possibly  threat- 
en.   They  oflen  also  swim  out  at  a  distance  from  the  shore, 


\\ 


COMMON   OUPK,   OR   MALLARD. 


381 


and  one  .  more  of  the  party,  experienced  as  leaders,  usually 
watch  for  the  common  safety,  and  give  instant  alarm,  when- 
ever there  is  occasion.  During  the  day,  they  thus  roam  at 
large  on  the  lakes,  secluded  pools  or  broad  rivers  remote 
from  the  shores,  resting  or  sleeping  till  the  approach  of  twi- 
light. In  a  domestic  state,  though  their  habits  are  so  much 
changed,  they  are  very  noisy  and  watchful  in  the  evening 
and  at  dawn,  responding  their  quack  and  cackle  to  the  early 
crowing  of  the  Cock.  It  is  at  this  time  that  the  fowler, 
secreted  in  his  hut  or  in  any  other  way,  lays  in  wait  for  their 
approach  to  the  lure  of  his  female  decoys,  and  pours 
among  them  his  destructive  fire. 

It  would  far  exceed  our  limits  to  detail  the  various  arts 
employed  in  order  to  obtain  this  wily  and  highly  esteemed 
game.  Decoys  of  wood,  carefully  painted  to  imitate  these 
and  other  species,  are  sometimes  very  successful  lures  in 
the  morning  twilight.  The  imitation  of  floating  objects,  as  a 
boat  painted  white  amongst  moving  ice,  has  also  sometimes 
been  attended  with  complete  success.  In  India  and  China, 
the  natives  wading  into  the  water,  and  concealing  the  head 
in  a  calabash,  steal  upon  the  Ducks  imperceptibly,  and 
drawing  ihem  down  severally  by  the  legs,  fasten  them  to  a 
girdle,  till  they  become  loaded  with  their  unsuspicious 
game. 

In  the  fens  of  Lincolnshire,  extensive  and  ingenious  de- 
coys are  made  for  this  purpose,  in  the  form  of  a  winding 
canal  passing  out  of  the  lake  where  the  Ducks  resort, 
and  which  is  screened  on  one  side  by  a  high  reed  fence. 
At  the  bottom  of  this  artificial  and  converging  sluice  inarch- 
ed  with  willows,  a  tunnel  net  is  laid,  into  which  the  birds 
are  driven,  by  a  dog  trained  for  the  purpose,  and  sent  out 
to  th3  Ducks  at  the  entrance  of  the  inlet ;  they  are  thus, 
with  suitable  precaution,  at  length  urged  into  the  net,  some« 
tiiQes  in  such  (juantities,  that  five  or  six  dozen  have  been 


883 


WEB-FOOTED.  BIRDS. 


\' 


taken  out  atone  drift ;  and  Pennant  relates  a  season  in  which 
31,200  Ducks,  including  Teals  and  Widgeons,  were  sold  in 
London  only,  from  ten  of  these  decoys  near  Wainfleet,  in 
Lincolnshire.  Formerly,  the  Ducks  while  in  moult,  and 
unable  to  fly,  were  driven  into  nets,  in  such  numbers,  that 
as  many  as  4000  have  been  taken  at  one  driving  in  Deep- 
ing Fen ;  and  Latham  quotes  an  instance  of  2,646  being 
taken  in  two  days,  near  Spalding,  in  the  same  county.  But 
this  manner  of  catching,  or  rather  extirpating  game,  while  in 
the  moult,  is  now  justly  prohibited.  The  season  of  catch- 
ing Ducks  in  England,  as  regulated  by  law,  is  from  the  end 
of  October  to  the  beginning  of  February. 

The  food  of  the  Wild  Duck  is  small  fish,  fry,  snails, 
aquatic  insects  and  plants,  as  well  as  seeds  and  most  sorts 
of  grain.  In  the  severity  of  winter,  if  the  standing  waters 
become  frozen,  they  remove  to  running  rivers,  and  resort  to 
the  edge  of  woods  in  quest  of  acorns  or  other  suitable  food ; 
but  if  the  frost  continues  for  eight  or  ten  days  they  disap- 
pear, and  do  not  return  till  the  early  thaws  of  the  spring. 

The  length  of  the  Mallard  or  male  is  about  2  feet ;  the  wings  11 
inches  3  lines ;  the  bill  above,  2  inches  2  lines ;  the  tarsus  1  inch  9 
lines.  Head,  and  adjoining  half  of  the  neck  deep  emerald-green, 
below  which  there  is  a  white  collar ;  the  remainder  of  the  neck  and 
breast  are  dark  chestnut.  Anterior  part  of  the  back,  wing  coverts, 
primaries,  and  tail,  hair-brown  of  different  shades :  the  tail  feathers 
bordered  with  white,  and  the  anterior  part  of  the  back  finely  waved 
with  grey.  Rump  and  upper  tail  coverts  blackish-green  :  under  tail 
coverts  greenish-black.  Shoulders,  scapulars,  sides  of  the  rump, 
flanks,  and  abdomen,  grey,  finely  undulated  with  clove-brown. 
Some  of  the  exterior  scapulars,  chestnut,  with  darker  lines.  Spec- 
ulum imperial  purple,  reflecting  green,  bounded  above  and  below 
with  velvet-black  and  white,  and  interiorly  with  reddish-brown. 
Primaries  cinereous.  Sides  of  the  rump  partly,  and  interior  of  the 
wings  entirely,  white.  Wings  an  inch  and  a  half  shorter  than  the 
tail;  which  consists  of  IG  feathers ;  the  two  central  pairs  of  upper 
tail  coverts  curl  upwards.  Bill  wax-yellow,  rather  longer  than  the 
head.    Irids  reddish-brown.     Legs  orange.  -^i      ,  -   -       ,     -    • 


GADWALL,    OR   ORGY. 


383 


The  female  resembles  the  male  only  in  the  wings.  The  upper 
plumage  and  the  tail  are  mostly  liver-brown,  with  pale  brown  mar* 
gins  and  horse-shoe  shaped  bars.  —  The  upper  parts  of  the  head  are 
darker ;  and  the  sides  of  the  head  and  neck  more  finely  marked. 
The  under  plumage  yellowish-grey,  obscurely  spotted  with  brown ; 
the  breast  tinged  with  chestnut. 

Note.  I  have  received  two  specimens,  said  to  be  wild,  which 
measure  about  30  inches  in  length,  and  agree  in  n.'st  particulani 
with  the  common  species ;  but  in  the  adult  the  primaries  are  white, 
the  tail  feathers  wholly  grey  ;  and  the  whole  neck  and  breast  as  well 
as  abdomen  are  of  the  same  uniform  grey  and  finely  mottled  color, 
with  only  a  slight  general  tint  of  pale  rufous.  In  the  other  male 
moulting  into  adult  plumage,  the  primaries  are  dark-grey;  and  the 
grey  of  the  breast  is  more  distinctly  waved  with  pale  rufous.  Mr. 
Cooper  of  New  York,  has  also  met  with  similar  large  specimens,  and 
considers  them  as  hybrids.  What  they  are,  or  how  originated,  I  am 
unable  to  determine,  and  thus  merely  ca31  attention  to  the  subject. 


(^rfi'.-,.f:^ 


■^.f-v-?^^ 


GADWALL,  OR  GREY. 

(Jnas  strepera,  Lin.  Lath.  Ind.  sp.  69.  Wilson,  viii.  p.  120.  pk 
71.  fig.  1.  Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  838.  Richard.  North.  Zool. 
ii.  p.  440.  BoNAP.  Synops.  No.  324.  Gadwall,  Penn.  Arct.  ZooU 
ii.  L.  Le  Chipeau,  Buff.  PI.  Enlum.  958.  [male.]  Montaov,  Om. 
Diet.  [ed.  alt.  cum  ic]     Phil.  Museum,  No.  2750.) 


384 


WEB-FOOTED   BIROS. 


\ 


Bp.  Charact.  —  Speculum  white,  bordered  with  black  and  chest- 
nut, feet  orange,  their  webs  blackish ;  tail  of  IG  feathers.  —  Male 
blackish,  waved  with  white  ;  rump  black.  Female  duller,  rump  of 
the  same  color  with  the  rest  of  the  plumage. 

The  Oadwall  inhabits  the  northern  regions  of  both  con- 
tinents, but  does  not  in  America,  according  to  Richardson, 
proceed  farther  than  the  68th  parallel,  and  in  Europe  it 
seems  not  to  advance  higher  than  Sweden.  In  the 
Russian  empire  it  extends  over  most  of  the  latitudes  of  the 
European  and  Siberian  part,  except  the  east  of  the  latter 
and  Kamtschatka.  In  their  migrations  they  pass  chiefly 
into  the  warmer  parts  of  Europe,  being  very  rare  in  England, 
but  common  on  the  coasts  of  France,  Italy  and  Sardinia. 
In  the  United  States  it  appears  to  be  generally  rare.  A  few 
of  the  young  birds  are  seen  in  this  vicinity  ;  and  Wilson  met 
with  it  in  the  interior  on  Seneca  Lake,  in  October, 
and  in  February,  at  Louisville  on  the  Ohio ;  and  near  the 
Big  Bone  Lick,  in  Kentucky.  ;  ^«.      ^ - 

The  Gadwall  breeds  in  the  woody  districts  of  the  remove 
northern  fur  countries  of  Canada.  In  the  north  of  Europe 
they  inhabit  the  vast  rushy  marshes;  and  in  Holland, 
where  they  are  common,  they  associate  in  the  same  places 
with  the  Wild  Duck  or  Mallard.  They  nest  in  meadows 
and  among  rushes,  laying  8  or  9  greenish-grey  eggs.  They 
are  very  much  esteemed  as  game,  are  very  alert  at  diving 
and  swimming,  and  plunging  at  the  flash  of  the  gun  are 
obtained  with  difliculty.  It  is  very  timorous,  lurking  in  the 
marshes  by  day,  feeding  only  in  the  twilight  of  the  morning 
and  evening,  and  oflen  till  some  time  after  night  fall ;  they 
are  then  heard  flying  in  company  with  the  Whistlers,  and 
like  these  obey  the  call  of  the  decoy  Ducks.  Their  cry 
miich  resembles  that  of  the  common  Wild  Duck  ;  nor  is  it, 
more  raucous  or  louder,  though  Gesner  seems  to  have  meant 
to  characterize  its  note  by  applying  the  epithet  strepera. 


■■f. 


imii'i'T'w'ini 


OADWALL   OR   ORET. 


385 


which  has  been  adopted  by  succeeding  ornithologists. 
Their  food,  consists  of  small  fish,  shelly  moUusca,  insects 
and  aquatic  plants. 

The  trachea  of  the  male  is  protrided  with  a  large  la- 
byrinth, but  in  most  respects  agrees  with  that  of  the 
Mallard. 

The  Gadwall  is  about  23  inches  in  length ;  the  wing  10^  inches ; 
the  bill  above,  is  about  1  inch  7  lines ;  the  tarsus  1  inch  6  lines.  — 
In  the  male,  the  top  of  the  head  and  nape  are  liver-brown  edged  with 
grey.  Head  beneath  and  neck  grey  with  small  brown  specks.  Base 
of  the  neck  above  and  below,  anterior  part  of  the  back,  exterior 
scapulars,  flanks,  and  sides  of  the  vent,  clove-brown,  marked  with 
concentric  horse-shoe  shaped  white  lines.  Interior  scapulars,  lesser 
coverts,  primaries,  tertiaries,  and  tail,  hair-brown;  intermediate 
coverts,  chestnut-brown;  greater  coverts,  rump,  and  upper  and 
under  tail  coverts,  bluish-black.  Speculum  white,  its  anterior  bor> 
der  black.  Lower  part  of  the  breast,  middle  of  the  belly,  and  under 
surface  of  the  wings  white.  First  and  second  quills  equal  and 
longest.  Legs  orange.  Bill  brownish-black,  pale  beneath,  as  long 
as  the  head,  of  equal  breadth  and  height  at  the  rictus ;  depressed  but 
not  widening  anteriorly.  Laminse  of  the  mandibles  rather  stronger 
and  much  shorter  than  those  of  the  Shoveler,  but  finer  and  more 
numerous  than  those  of  any  other  northern  species.  The  upper 
ones  project  a  tenth  of  an  inch  beyond  the  margin  Wings  nearly 
equal  to  the  tail. 

In  the  female  the  feathers  of  the  back  are  blackish-brown,  edged 
with  pale  rufous;  the  breast  reddish -brown,  spotted  with  black; 
there  are  no  zig-zag  lines  on  the  flanks ;  and  the  rump  and  inferior 
tail  coverts  are  grey.  —  In  a  young  mMle,  now  before  me,  the 
general  plumage  is  that  of  the  female,  dusky-brown  with  dull 
yellowish-brown  edgings  to  the  feathers,  but  none  of  the  delicate 
curving  lines  of  the  male  in  those  parts.  The  summit  of  the  head 
is  very  dark-brown.  The  speculum  is  white  mixed  with  grey,  ante- 
riorly bounded  with  blackish  and  grey :  greater  coverts  over  the 
speculum  only,  black  with  green  reflections,  no  chestnut  on  any  of 
the  coverts,  and  the  scapulars  dusky.  Rump  the  general  color  of  the 
back :  under  tail  coverts  paler.  Below  spotted  with  dusky,  tlie 
spots  large  and  roundish ;  wing  linings  and  long  axilliaries  pure 
33 


386 


TVEB-FOOTEO   BIRDf. 


\ 


white.  Bill  dusky  above,  below  and  at  the  tides  orange,  tinged 
■lightly  with  brown,  the  laminar  teeth  exierted.  Legs  and  feet 
pale  orange,  the  webs  dusky. 


PINTAIL,  OR  WINTER  DUCK. 


11 


1 


(Anas  aevta,  Linn.  Lath.  Ind.  sp.  81.  Wilson,  viii.  p.  78.  pi.  68. 

fig.  3.  BoNAP.  Synops.  No.  825.  Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  888. 
"  Ji.  caudacuta,  (Ray.  Leach.)  Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  441. 

Pintail  Duck,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  500.  Le  Canard  A  longtu 
^  queue,  Buff.  PI.  Enlum.  959.    Phil.  Museum,  No.  2806.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Speculum  green  with  purple  reflections,  bordered 
by  rufous  and  white ;  tail  very  long,  cuneiform,  acute,  of  16 
feathers;  bill  long  and  linear,  nearly  black.  —  Male  ash  color, 
waved,  lined,  and  spotted  with  black,  with  a  white  stripe  on  each 

Ik  side  of  the  neck  :  two  middle  tail  feathers  very  long  and  tapering ; 

i.  vent  black.  Female  dusky,  spotted  with  redish-white :  speculum 
and  vent  uniform  in  color  with  the  rest  of  the  plumage,  and  the 
middle  tail  feathers  not  elongated. 

This  elegant  species  is  again  an  inhabitant  of  the 
northern  parts  of  both  continents,  leaving  its  remote  natal 
regions,  as  the  winter  advances,  when  it  is  seen  pretty  fre- 
quent in  the  markets  of  the  United  States,  and  is  a  game 
much  esteemed  for  the  excellence  of  its  flavor.  According 
to  Richardson,  they  frequent  chiefly  the  clear  lakes,  and 
breed  in  the  Barren  Grounds,  appearing  in  the  more  south- 
ern and  wooded  districts  when  about  to  migrate,  at  which 
period  they  proceed  even  beyond  the  limits  of  the  United 
States,  being  noticed  by  Hernandez  in  Mexico.  In  Europe 
they  are  said  to  retire  to  the  marshes  of  the  White  Sea  to 
breed.  They  are  seen  in  Sweden  in  the  spring  and  autumn 
for  a  few  days  as  birds  of  passage  ;  in  winter  visit  the  north 
of  England  and  Scotland,  and  are  seen  in  great  flocks  in  the 
Orkneys.    They  are  also  common  in  France,  Holland  and 


iMHHi 


■■■■■■■««■■ 


PINTAIL,    OR   WINTKE   DUCK. 


887 


Germany,  and  proceed  south  as  far  as  Italy.  In  the  Russian 
empire  they  penetrate  to  Kamtschatka,  Tartary,  and  even  as 
far  as  China.  In  Missouri  and  some  of  the  other  Western 
States  they  are  abundant  early  in  March,  and  frequent  the 
small  pools  and  ponds  in  the  prairies ;  at  the  same  time  they 
are  likewise  seen  on  their  way  north  on  the  shores  of  the 
Delaware. 

The  Pintail  is  shy  and  cautious,  feeding  on  the  mud  flats, 
and  shallow  fresh-water  marshes,  but  rarely  takes  to  the  sea 
coast.  It  seldom  dives,  is  very  noisy  and  chattering,  utter- 
ing a  quack  like  the  Common  Duck,  and  plunges  and  hides 
with  great  dexterity  when  wounded.  It  is  also  trouble- 
flomely  vigilant  in  giving  alarm  on  the  approach  of  the 
gunner. 

The  food  and  nest  of  this  species  id  very  similar  with  that 
of  the  preceding.  I  have  found  the  stomach  in  one  in- 
stance nearly  filled  with  the  seeds  of  the  Zostera.  It  lays  8 
or  9  eggs  of  a  greenish-blue  color.  A  female  Pintail  bred  in 
confinement,  when  paired  with  a  Widgeon,  in  Lord  Stanley's 
menagerie  at  Knowsley,  sat  so  closely  upon  her  eggs  towards 
the  close  of  the  period  of  incubation,  as  to  allow  herself  to 
be  taken  off  the  nest  by  hand  without  forsaking  her  hatch- 
ing, and  a  brood  of  these  hybrids  were  successfully  reared. 


The  Pintail  is  about  26  inches  long ;  the  wing  10  inches  9  line  j ; 
length  of  the  bill  above,  2  inches  ;  the  tarsus  1  inch  7  lines.  In  the 
male,  the  head  and  adjoining  part  of  the  neck  is  anteriorly  umber- 
brown,  with  paler  edges.  The  neck  above  blackish-brown.  The 
whole  of  the  back,  shorter  scapulars,  sides  of  the  breast,  and  flanks 
marked  with  fine  waved  transverse  lines  of  brownish-white  and 
black,  most  regular  and  broadest  on  the  long  feathers  lying  over  the 
thighs.  Long  scapulars  and  tertiaries  black,  the  borders  of  the  for- 
mer and  outer  webs  of  the  latter,  white.  Wing  coverts  and  prima- 
ries hair-brown ;  the  primary  shafts  white,  and  the  interior  coverts 
mottled  with  the  same.  Speculum  dark  green,  with  purple  reflec- 
tioqq  bounded  above  by  a  ferruginous  bar^  and  interiorly  and  below 


-\^ 


388 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDf,    ;f7 


\ 


bjT  white.  Tail,  and  most  of  ita  upper  ooyerta,  dark  brown  with 
pale  borders.  Two  long  central  upper  coyerta,  vent,  and  under 
ooyerta,  black  ;  the  latter  bordered  with  white.  A  lateral  streak  on 
the  upper  part  of  the  neck,  the  sides  and  fVont  of  its  lower  part,  the 
breast,  and  belly,  white.  The  posterior  part  of  the  abdomen  minutely 
marked  with  grey.  Feet  blackisb-grey.  The  bill  as  long  as  the 
head,  black,  the  sides  of  the  upper  mandible  bluish-grey  ;  it  is  con- 
siderably  higher  than  wide  at  the  base ;  the  upper  mandible  of 
equal  breadth  to  the  point.  The  middle  pair  of  tail  coverts  have 
long  slender  points  projecting  2j|  inches  beyond  the  tail. 

The  tracheal  dilatation,  a  small  osseous  sac,  the  size  of  a  hazel 
ini). 

The/eTfiaZe  is  smaller  than  the  male,  the  upper  plumage  brownish- 
black,  with  a  spot  on  each  side  of  the  shafl,  and  borders  of  reddish- 
white.  The  middle  coverts  are  not  prolonged  beyond  the  tail ;  the 
barred  feathers  of  the  flanks  are  wanting,  and  the  mirror  (or  Mfing 
spot)  is  destitute  of  the  green  gloss.  Its  total  length  is  about  21 
inches ;  the  extent  of  the  wings  S9. 

In  young  birds  the  general  plumage  is  similar  with  that  of  the  fe- 
male,  but  still  plainer  and  paler.  In  a  young  male  the  head  is  pale  ^^ 
ferruginous  with  b^own  streaks ;  the  scapulars  are  sparingly  spotted 
and  edged  with  white  and  yellowish-white.  The  speculum  is  wholly 
wanting  ;  but  the  secondaries  are  deep  dusky  faintly  clouded  with  pale 
brown  and  broadly  edged  with  white.    The  bill  is  brownish-black. 


.''"'is 


i*:t.> 


■^t'  ■•%niti* 


'•''''■'^'.iAr. 


\t 


rj-»f    jl  ■i-l's,     ;   •i^i-iii   ■J'A%iifi'i'r- 


,'-:-V^,    ^'ij'. 


i 


mm 


tmmiim 


#. 


AMERICAN  WIDGEON. 

(Jlnas americaiMy  Ghel.  Lath.  iii.  520.  Wilson,  viii.p.  86.  pi.  69. 

fig    4.  BoNAP.  Syn.  No,  3*26.     Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  445. 

American  Widgeon,  P£N5.   Arct.   Zool.    li.    No.    502.     Mareca 

americanay  Stephens,  Gen.  Zool.  xii.  p.  185.     Le  Canard  Jensen 

de    la  Louisiane,    Buff.   F1.    Enlum    955.    Phil.  Museum.  No. 

2796.) 
Sp.  Charact.  —  Speculum  green,  surrounded  with  black ;    wing 

coverts  white;  tail  wedge-shaped,  of  14  feathers. — Male,  brown- 
ish-red, waved  with  blackish ;  with  a  white  band  from  the  front 
to  the  nape,  bounded  posteriorly  by  a  broad  patch  of  green  ;  the 
breast  nearly  chestnut :  throat  whitish.  Female  dark  brown  and 
mottled ;  no  green  on  the  head,  which  is  paler. 

This  species,  so  nearly  allied  to  the  European  Widgeon, 
has  not  been  found  in  the  old  continent,  yet  it  retires  north 
to  breeds  inhabiting  in  summer  the  woody  districts  of  the 
remote  fur  countries,  near  the  Saskatchewan  and  the  coasts 
of  Hudson's  Bay,  as  far  as  the  68th  degree  of  northern  lati- 
tude. In  autumn  and  winter  they  are  seen  common  in 
33* 


300 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


\ 


nearly  all  parts  of  the  Union,  many  wintering  in  North  and 
South  Carolina  in  the  open  rivers  and  bays,  sometimes  con- 
siderably inland.  Indeed,  I  have  never  seen  them  any  where 
so  numerous  as  in  the  Neuse  river,  round  Newbern,  40  miles 
from  the  ocean,  where  in  company  with  the  Canvas-Back 
and  Buflfel-Head,  they  are  seen  constantly  in  February  and 
March.  They  are  also  numerous  in  Chesapeake  Bay  ;  and  in 
the  course  of  the  winter  extend  their  migrations  as  far  as 
St.  Domingo  and  other  of  the  West  India  islands,  as  well 
as  into  Cayenne  in  the  tropical  parts  of  the  continent. 
They  are  also  observed  in  the  interior  of  the  United  States, 
as  on  the  Missouri,  and  probably  other  inland  parts,  where 
in  the  month  of  April,  as  well  as  on  the  sea  coast,  they  are 
seen  on  their  way  to  their  northern  breeding  places  to  which 
they  repair  in  May,  on  the  thawing  of  the  ice,  and  are  then 
commonly  associated  by  pairs.  According  to  Hutchins 
their  eggs  are  from  6  to  8 ;  and  they  frequent  the  swamps, 
and  feed  much  on  insects. 

The  Widgeon,  or  Bald-Pate,  is  a  frequent  attendant  on 
the  Canvas-Back,  and  oflen  profits  by  this  association. 
The  former,  not  being  commonly  in  the  habit  of  diving  for 
subsistence,  or  merely  from  caprice,  watches  the  motions  of 
its  industrious  neighbor,  and  as  soon  as  the  Canvass-Back 
rises  with  the  favorite  root  on  which  they  both  greedily  feed, 
the  Bald-Pate  snatches  the  morsel  and  makes  off  with  his 
booty.  They  are  always  very  alert  and  lively,  feeding  and 
swimming  out  into  the  ponds  and  rivers  at  all  hours  of  the 
day,  but  are  extremely  watchful,  sheltering  in  coves  and 
behind  the  land,  and  on  the  slightest  attempt  to  steal  upon 
them,  immediately  row  out  into  the  stream  beyond  gun-shot, 
and  then  only  take  to  wing  when  much  disturbed.  In 
Carolina  and  the  West  Indies  they  frequent  the  rice  fields 
in  flocks,  and  in  Martinico  are  said  to  do  considerable 
damage  to  the  crops.     When  thus  feeding  in  company,  they 


■■  I 


AMERICAN  WIDGEON. 


901 


have  a  sort  of  sentinel  on  the  watch.  At  times  thoy  keep 
in  covert  until  twilight,  and  arc  thon  traced  by  their  low, 
guttural,  and  peculiar  whi.stle,  or  'tchew  'tchcw,  as  well  as 
other  calls,  and  thci  whistle  is  frequently  imitated  with 
success  to  entice  them  within  gun-shot.  They  feed  much  in 
the  winter  upon  aquatic  vegetables,  cropping  the  Potamo' 
geton  or  Pond  Weed,  as  well  as  other  kinds  of  fresh-water 
plants  and  seeds,  and  sometimes  themselves,  dive  and 
collect  the  roots  and  leaves  of  the  Ruppia  and  Zostcra  or 
Sea-Wrack. 

In  the  middle  States  these  birds  are  frequently  brought  to 
market,  sell  well,  and  are  much  esteemed  as  food.  As  the 
species  feeds  principally  on  seeds,  gririn,  and  vegetables, 
they  might  probably  bo  readily  domesticated.  Suited  to  the 
nature  of  their  food,  the  stomach  is  remarkably  stout  and 
muscular. 

The  length  of  the  American  Widgeon  \%  about  23  inches ;  the  folded 
wing  10  inches  3  lines  ;  length  of  the  bill  above,  1  inch  5  lines  ;  the 
tarsus  IJ^  inches.  In  the  vriale  the  front  and  crown  is  cream  colored; 
sometimes  nearly  white ;  behind  the  eye  a  broad  dark  green  patch, 
which  ends  in  the  short  crest  on  the  hind  part  of  tlic  head.  Upper 
part  and  sides  of  the  breast  brownish-red,  glossed  with  grey.  Base 
of  the  neck  above,  interscapulars,  scapulars,  and  flanks,  minutely 
and  exquisitely  undulated  with  brownish-red  and  black  :  throat  and 
sides  of  the  neck  yellowish-white,  thickly  covered  with  small  spots 
of  black ;  hind  part  of  the  back  waved  with  clove-brown  and  white, 
the  latter  color  prevailing  on  the  tail  coverts.  Lesser  wing  coverts, 
primaries,  and  tail,  clove-brown  ;  intermediate  and  greater  coverts, 
sides  of  the  rump,  breast,  and  belly,  pure  white.  Speculum  velvet- 
black  below,  green  above,  and  bounded  superiorly  with  black  and 
behind  with  white.  Exterior  webs  of  the  tertiaries,  and  lateral  and 
inferior  tail  coverts  deep  greenish  velvet-black,  the  tertiaries  long 
and  pointed,  bordered  and  shafled  conspicuously  with  white.  Bill 
small,  shorter  than  the  head,  clear  and  bright  bluish -grey,  bordered 
and  tipped  with  black,  the  under  mandible  wholly  black.  Plumage 
of  the  nape  somewhat  lengthened.  Closed  wings  above  an  inch 
shorter  than  the  acutely  pointed  tail,  which,  as  in  the  European 


392 


WEB-POOTED   BIRDS. 


I 


Widgeon  consists  of  14  feathers ;  the  two  long  feathers,  exteriorly 
edged  with  greenish-black. 

In  the  female  the  upper  plumage  is  dark  liver-brown,  edged  and 
remotely  barred  with  pale  brown  and  white.  The  intermediate  wing 
coverts  are  merely  edged  with  white,  and  there  is  no  green  on  the 
head.  The  tail  also  shorter  and  not  so  tapering.  About  2  inches 
shorter  than  the  male.  ^         ■     , 


DUSKY  DUCK. 

(Anas  obscura,  Gmel.  Lath.  Synops.  iii.  p.  545.  Wilson,  viii. 
p.  141.  pi.  72.  fig.  5.  BoNAP.  Synops.  No.  327.  Dusky  Duck, 
Pehn.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  496.     Phil.  Museum.  No.  2880.)  ri 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Speculum  violet-blue  with  green  and  amethystine 
reflections,  margined  with  black ;  under  wing  coverts  and  long 
axillaries  white  ;  tail  of  16  feathers.  —  Male  and  female  nearly 
alike  ;  both  blackish -brown,  the  feathers  edged  with  paler  tints  : 
the  young  and  female  darker. 

This  species  seems  to  be  an  exclusive  inhabitant  of 
America,  being  met  with  from  Labrador  to  Florida,  but  is 
not  found  in  the  higher  boreal  re:rions  of  the  continent.  It  is 
generally  known  by  the  improper  name  of  the  *  Black  Duck,* 
though  it  is  merely  dusky,  and  both  se.xes,  nearly  alike  in 
plumage,  have  a  great  resemblance  to  the  female  of  the 
common  Mallard.  It  is  a  numerous  and  common  species  in 
the  salt  marshes,  as  well  as  fresh-water  rivers  and  lakes. 
It  is  only  partially  migratory,  many  often  wintering  in  the 
Middle  and  Southern  States,  where  they  also  pass  the 
summer  and  breed  from  the  Carolinas  to  Labrador,*  in 
retired  places  in  the  fresh  water  marshes,  or  in  the  sea 
islands,  making  a  nest  of  rank  weeds.  The  eggs,  8  to  15, 
are  of  a  dull  ivory  white,  and  palatable  to  the  taste. 

'*■  Audubon,  by  letter. 


mmmm 


MM 


>!■ 


DUSKY   DUCK. 


303 


the 


Many  migrate  north  as  well  as  into  the  interior  at  the 
approach  of  spring.  Their  principal  food  in  autumn  and 
winter  appears  to  consist  of  minute  shell-fish,  particularly 
those  univalves  which  are  so  abundant  in  the  salt  marshes. 
They  also  at  times,  in  great  numbers,  visit  the  sandy  beach 
in  quest  of  small  bivalves  and  other  shelly  mollusca ;  and 
occasionally  feed  on  seeds  of  aquatic  and  bog  plants,  such 
as  those  of  the  Scheutzeria,  and  as  usual  swallow  gravel 
with  the  rest  of  their  fare.  They  roost  in  the  shallow  ponds 
and  islands  where  many  are  caught  by  the  minx  and  fox; 
and  are  extremely  shy  during  the  day,  being  at  that  time 
very  seldom  seen  except  when  surprised  in  their  retreats,  or 
alarmed  by  the  report  of  the  gun,  when  they  often  rise  from 
the  marsh  in  great  numbers,  and  disperse  confusedly  in 
every  direction.  In  calm  weather  they  fly  high,  but  when 
the  wind  blows  hard,  they  proceed  within  gun  shot  over  the 
the  salt  meadows,  and  may  then  be  brought  down  in  great 
numbers  by  the  concealed  gunner,  as  they  proceed  over 
their  usual  track.  Their  voice  or  quack  resembles  that  of 
the  common  Wild  Duck,  and  their  flesh  when  well  fed, 
notwithstanding  the  nature  of  their  food,  is  scarcely  inferior 
to  that  of  any  other  species. 

The  Dusky  Duck  is  about  2  feet  in  length ;  and  S  feet  2  inches 
in  alar  extent.  The  upper  part  of  the  head  is  deep  dusky-brown, 
with  small  streaks  of  drab  on  the  fore  part ;  the  rest  of  the  head  and 
greater  part  of  the  neck,  dull  yellowish-white,  each  feather  marked 
down  the  centre  with  a  line  of  blackish<brown.  Inferior  part  of  the 
neck,  and  whole  lower  parts,  dusky,  the  feathers  edged  more  or  less 
broadly  with  brownish-white ;  upper  parts  the  same,  but  deeper. 
Speculum  blue,  with  green  and  amethyst-red  reflections.  Wings 
and  tail  dusky  *,  the  tail  feathers  sharp  pointed.  Bill  greenish-ash, 
formed  much  like  that  of  the  Mallard,  about  2^  inches  long  measured 
from  above.     The  legs  and  feet  dusky-yellow. 

The  female  is  browner ;  but  in  other  respects  resembles  the  male, 
having  in  common  with  it  the  alar  speculum,  ,;        „j.v  ••  .^f^u; 


394 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


In  a  beautiful  and  very  perfect  male,  the  throat  and  neck  is  of  a 
clear  brownish-white  with  blackish  streaks.  Above  deep  dusky,  the 
feathers  but  slightly  edged  with  dull  brown  ;  with  the  scapulars  and 
primaries  towards  their  points  glossed  with  pale  green.  Speculum 
blue,  with  splendid  green  and  amethyst-red  reflections,  bordered 
with  black  and  slenderly  edged  also  with  white,  the  posterior  bound- 
ary on  the  tertiaries  ample,  and  deep  velvet-black.  The  2  central 
tail  coverts,  slightly  reflected  upwards  at  the  tips.  Inner  lining  of 
the  wing  and  axillaries  pale  cream-white.  Bill  bright  yellow-olive, 
the  nail,  tip  beneath  and  laminse  black.  Legs  and  feet  salmon-red 
mixed  with  dusky,  which  extends  over  the  webs. 


! 


SUMMER,  OR  WOOD  DUCK. 

(^nas  sponsa,  Linn.  Lath.  Synops.  iii.  p.  546.  Wilson,  viii,  p. 
97.  pi.  78.  fig.  3.  BoNAP.  Syn.  No.  328.  Dendronessa  sponsa, 
Richard  and  Swains.  North  Zool.  ii.  p.  446.  Summer  Duck, 
Catesby.  i.  p.  97.  Edwards,  pi.  101.  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii,  p. 
286.  No.  403.  Le  beau  Canard  hup6  de  la  Caroline,  Buff.  PI. 
Enlum.  980,  981.     Phil.  Museum,  No.  2872.) 

Sp.  Charact.  — With  a  metallic  gloss,  the  throat  white  :  a  pendant 
crest ;  speculum  purplish-blue,  tipped  with  white  j   under  wing 


n 


SUMMER,   OR  WOOD   DUCK. 


395 


nd  neck  is  of  a 
leep  dusky,  the 
e  scapulars  and 
en.  Speculum 
;tions,  bordered 
losterior  bound- 
The  2  central 
Inner  lining  of 
It  yellow-olive, 
feet  salmon-red 


SON,  viii,  p. 
xssa  sponsa, 
mmer  Duck, 

Zool.  ii,  p. 

,  BtFF.    PI. 

:  a  pendant 
under  wing 


i 


coverts  white,  spotted  with  black ;  the  tail  of  14  wide  and  rounded 
feathers.  The  bill  small  and  pointed.  —  MeUe  with  the  head  and 
crest  golden  green,  with  two  white  stripes  :  breast  and  sides  of  the 
rump  bright  reddish  chestiiut.  Female  with  the  head  and  crest 
brownish,  and  with  a  white  space  round  the  eye. 

This  most  beautiful  of  Ducks  seems  to  be  dressed  in  a 
studied  attire,  to  which  the  addition  of  a  flowing  crest  adds 
a  finish  of  peculiar  elegance ;  and  hence  Linnseus  has  dig- 
nified the  species  with  the  title  of  sponsa  or  the  bride. 
This  splendid  bird  is  peculiar  to  America,  but  extends  its 
residence  from  the  cold  regions  of  Hudson's  Bay  in  the  54th 
parallel  to  Mexico  and  the  Antilles.  Throughout  a  great 
part  of  this  vast  space,  or  at  least  as  far  south  as  Florida 
and  the  Mississippi  territory,  the  Summer  Duck  is  known  to 
breed.  In  the  interior  they  are  also  found  in  the  State  of 
Missouri,  and  along  the  woody  borders  and  still  streams 
which  flow  into  most  of  the  great  north-western  lakes  of  the 
St.  Lawrence.  The  Summer  Duck,  so  called  from  its  con- 
stant residence  in  the  United  States,  has  indeed  but  little 
predilection  for  the  sea  coast,  its  favorite  haunts  being  the 
solitary,  deep,  and  still  waters,  ponds,  woody  lakes,  and  the 
mill  dams  in  the  interior,  making  its  nest  often  in  decayed 
and  hollow  trees  impending  over  the  water. 

Though  many  migrate  probably  to  the  shores  of  the 
Mexican  Gulf,  numbers  pass  the  winter  in  the  states  south 
of  Virginia.  Early  in  February  they  are  seen  associated  by 
pairs  on  the  inundated  banks  of  the  Alabama,  and  are  fre- 
quent at  the  same  season  in  the  waters  of  West  Florida. 
In  Pennsylvania  they  usually  nest  late  in  April  or  early  in 
May,  choosing  the  hollow  of  some  broken  or  decayed  tree, 
and  sometimes  even  constructing  a  rude  nest  of  sticks  in 
the  forks  of  branches.  The  eggs  12  or  13  are  yellowish- 
white,  rather  less  than  those  of  the  domestic  Hen,  and  they 
are  usually  covered  with  down,  probably  plucked  from  the 


396 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


breast  of  the  parent.  The  same  tree  is  sometimes  occupied, 
by  the  same  pair,  for  several  successive  years,  in  the  breed- 
ing season.  The  young,  when  hatched,  are  carried  down 
in  the  bill  of  the  female,  and  afterwards  conducted  by  her  to 
the  nearest  water.  To  these  places,  when  once  selected,  if 
not  disturbed,  they  sometimes  show  a  strong  predilection, 
and  are  not  easily  induced  to  forsake  the  premises,  however 
invaded  by  noise  and  bustle.  While  the  female  is  sitting, 
the  male  is  usually  perched  on  some  adjoining  limb  of  the 
same  tree,  keeping  watch  for  their  common  safety.  The 
species  is  scarcely  ever  gregarious,  they  are  only  seen  in 
pairs  or  by  families.  The  common  note  of  the  drake  is  peet, 
peet  f  but  when  on  his  post  as  sentinel,  on  espying  danger, 
he  makes  a  sort  of  crowing  noise,  like  *hoo  eek,  'hoo  eek,  . 

The  food  of  the  Wood  Duck  consists  principally  of 
acorns,  the  seeds  of  aquatic  plants,  such  as  those  of  the 
Wild  Oat  (Zizania  aquatica,)  Ruppia,  &c.  and  insects, 
which  inhabit  in  or  near  waters ;  and  I  have  seen  a  fine 
male  whose  stomach  was  wholly  filled  with  a  mass  of  the 
small  coleoptera,  called  Donatias,  which  are  seen  so  nimbly 
flying  over  or  resting  on  the  leaves  of  the  pond  lily 
(NymphcBa  odorata;)  they  are  therefore  very  alert  in  quest 
of  their  prey  or  they  could  never  capture  these  wary  insects. 
They  are  not  uncommon  in  the  markets  of  the  Eastern 
and  Middle  States,  and  are  justly  esteemed  as  food. 

The  Wood  Duck  has  sometimes  been  tamed,  and  soon 
becomes  familiar.  They  have  even  been  so  far  domestica- 
ted as  to  run  about  at  large  in  the  barn  yard  like  ordinary 
fowls.  In  France  they  have  also  been  acclimated  and  tamed, 
and  have  bred  in  this  condition. 

Length  of  the  species  about  21  inches :   of  the  folded  wing 
inches  ;  of  the  bill  above  1  inch  4i^  lines ;  tarsus  1<^  inches.     In  the 
male  the  head  above,  and  space  between  the  eye  and  bill  is  glossy- 
dark  green.    Cheeks  and  a  large  patch  on  the  sides  of  the  throat 


■7 


BLUE-WINGED   TEAL. 


397 


les  occupied, 
in  the  breed- 
arried  down 
ted  by  her  to 
J  selected,  if 
predilection, 
ses,  however 
e  is  sitting, 

limb  of  the 
lafety.  The 
nly  seen  in 
Irake  is  peet, 
ring  danger, 
,  'hoo  eek. 
incipally  of 
hose  of  the 
md  insects, 

seen  a  fine 
mass  of  the 
1  so  nimbly 

pond  lily 
ert  in  quest 
ary  insects, 
he  Eastern 
>d. 

and  soon 
domestica- 
e  ordinary 
md  tamed, 


ed  wing 
les.    In  the 
ill  is  glossy 
'  the  throat 


purple,  with  blue  reflections.  Pendant  occipital  crest  green  and  au- 
ricula-purple, marked  with  two  narrow  white  lines,  one  of  them  ter- 
minating behind  the  eye,  the  other  extending  over  the  eye  to  the  bill. 
Sides  of  the  neck  purplish-red,  changing  on  the  front  of  the  neck 
and  sides  of  the  breast  to  bright  chestnut-brown,  and  there  sprinkled 
with  small  pencil-shaped  spots  of  white.  Scapulars,  wings,  and  tail, 
exhibiting  a  play  of  duck  green,  purple,  blue,  and  velvet-black 
colors :  interscapulars,  posterior  part  of  the  back,  rump,  and  upper 
tail  coverts,  blackish-green  and  purple  j  several  of  the  lateral  coverts 
reddish-orange  on  their  outer  webs ;  a  hair-like  splendent,  reddish- 
purple  tuft  on  each  side  of  the  rump ;  the  under  coverts  brown.  Chin, 
throat,  and  collar  round  the  neck,  a  crescentic  uar  on  the  ears,  the 
middle  of  the  breast,  and  whole  of  the  abdomen,  white.  Flanks  yel- 
lowish-grey, finely  waved  with  black,  the  tips  of  the  long  feathers,  and 
also  of  those  on  the  shoulder,  broadly  barred  with  white  and  black. 
Inner  wing  coverts  white,  barred  with  dusky.  Almost  all  the  colored 
plumage  shows  a  play  of  colors  with  metallic  lustre.  Bill,  shorter 
than  the  head,  considerably  narrowed  towards  the  point,  like  that  of 
the  Eider ;  its  height  at  the  rictus  greater  than  its  width,  and  its 
frontal  angles  prolonged ',  the  mandibles  strongly  toothed ;  the  nail 
strong,  and  much  curved  down.  Nostrils  large  and  pervious ;  the 
forehead  sloping.  Color  of  the  bill  red ;  a  space  between  the 
nostrils,  its  tip,  margins,  and  lower  mandible,  black.  Legs  orange. 
Occipital  crest  long  and  pendant.  Wings  shorter  than  the  tail,  which 
consist  of  14  wide  and  rounded  feathers,  the  two  large  inferior 
coverts  nearly  as  large  and  strong  as  the  tail  feathers. 

The  female  wants  the  fine  lines  on  the  flanks,  and  the  hair-like 
tufts.on  the  sides  of  the  rump.  The  crest  is  also  shorter;  and  the 
plumage  is  less  vivid,  particularly  about  the  head,  where  it  is  mostly 
brown. 


BLUE-WINGED  TEAL. 

(^nas  discors,  Lin.  Wilson,  viii.  p.  74.  pi.  68.  fig.  4.  Bonap.  Sy- 
nops.  No.  329.  Richard.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  444.  Le  Sarcelle 
d'Ameriquc,  Briss.  vi.  p.  452,  35.  Buff.  ix.  p.  279.  PI.  Enlum. 
966.  Catesby,  i.  pi.  100.  White-faced  Duck,  Lath.  Synops.  iii. 
p.  502.  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  503.  Phil.  Museum,  No.  284C.) 
34 


398 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


Sp.  Craract.  —  Speculum  green,  bordered  above  with  a  aingltf 
white  band ;  wing  coverts  light  blue  ;  quill  shafts  dusky ;  tail  of 
14  feathers.  —  Male,  with  the  head  and  neck  purple-green;  crown 
black ;  a  white  crescent  each  side  of  the  head  before  the  eye. 
Female,  with  the  head  and  neck  wholly  dusky. 

The  BluO'Winged  Teal,  according  to  the  season,  inhabits 
every  part  of  the  American  continent  from  the  plains  of  the 
Saskatchewan  and  the  58th  parallel,  to  Guiana  and  the 
West  Indies.  Its  breeding  place,  however,  is  to  the  north 
and  west ;  they  are  particularly  abundant  as  early  as  August 
in  the  Territory  of  Michigan,  and  Mr.  Say  observed  them 
there  on  the  7th  of  June ;  so  that  they  probably  breed  in 
the  vi  jinity  of  the  great  lakes  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  as  well 
as  in  the  remote  interior  of  the  Canadian  fur  countries. 
Mr.  Say  also  observed  the  Blue-Winged  Teal  at  Pembino 
in  the  latitude  of  49^  on  the  5th  of  August.  They  arrive 
in  this  vicinity,  and  other  parts  of  Massachusetts  near  to  the 
sea  coast,  early  in  September,  and  according  to  Wilson,  are 
seen  soon  after  on  the  muddy  shores  of  the  Delaware, 
where  they  are  often  observed  basking  or  hiding  in  crowdsd 
companies  close  to  the  edge  of  the  water,  where  they  can 
only  be  approached  under  cover.  They  fly  out  with  ra- 
pidity, and  when  they  alight,  drop  down  suddenly  among 
the  reeds  in  the  manner  of  the  Snipe  or  Woodcock.  As 
the  first  frosts  come  on,  they  proceed  to  the  south,  and  then 
abound  in  the  inundated  rice  fields  of  the  Southern  States, 
where  great  numbers  are  taken  in  traps  placed  on  the  small 
dry  eminences  that  here  and  there  rise  above  the  water,  to 
which  they  are  decoyed  with  rice,  and  by  the  common  con- 
trivance called  a  figure  four,  they  are  taken  alive  in  box 
traps.  In  the  month  of  April  they  pass  through  Pennsylva- 
nia, on  their  way  to  the  north,  but  make  little  stay  at  that 
season ;  they  are  seen  also  in  the  spring  in  the  state  of 
Missouri,  and  spread  themselves  widely  to  breed  lluoughout 


*-'■  ■mu utmmmim 


mtUm 


BLUE-WINOED   TEAL. 


399 


^th  a  singltf 
dusky;  tail  of 
•green;  crown 
t>efore  the  eje. 

ison,  inhabits 
plains  of  the 
ana  and  the 
to  the  north 
ly  as  August 
served  them 
ly  breed  in 
nee,  as  well 
r  countries, 
at  Pembino 
Fhey  arrive 
near  to  the 
VTilson,  are 
Delaware, 
in  crowdfid 

they  can 

with  ra- 
lly among 
sock.     As 

and  then 
>rn  States, 
the  small 
water,  to 
imon  con- 
e  in  box 
ennsylva- 
ly  at  that 

state  of 

'Jughout 


a  great  extent  of  the  western  and  northern  wilderness. 
Though  often  contiguous  to  the  sea  they  have  no  predilec- 
tion for  visiting  the  shores,  feeding  chiefly  on  vegetables  and 
insects,  and  particularly  on  the  Zizania  or  Wild  Rice  which 
abounds  in  the  North  Western  lakes  and  sluggish  streams. 
They  are  much  esteemed  as  game,  and  commonly  be- 
come very  fat.  Their  note,  somewhat  like  a  diminutive 
quack,  is  uttered  low  and  somewhat  rapid. 

The  length  of  the  Blue- Winged  Teal  is  about  18  inches ;  the  folded 
wing  7  inches  8  lines ;  the  bill  above,  1  inch  7j|  lines ;  the  tarsus  1 
inch  2  lines.  In  the  male  the  upper  surface  of  the  head,  and  under 
tail  coverts  are  brownish-black.  A  broad  white  crescent  from  the 
forehead  to  the  chin,  bordered  all  round  with  black ;  sides  of  the 
head  and  adjoining  half  of  the  neck  bright  lavender-purple  ;  base  of 
the  neck  above,  back,  tertiaries,  and  tail  coverts,  brownish  and  black- 
bh-green.  The  fore  parts,  including  the  shorter  scapulars,  margined 
and  marked  with  semi-ovate  pale  brown  bars ;  longer  scapulars 
longitudinally  striped  with  blackish-green,  berlin-blue,  and  pale 
brown.  Lesser  wing  coverts  pure  pale  blue  ;  greater  coverts  white, 
their  bases  brown.  Speculum  dark  green.  Primaries,  their  coverts, 
and  the  tail,  liver-brown.  Sides  of  the  rump,  longer  under  wing 
coverts,  and  axillary  feathers,  pure  white.  The  under  plumage  pale 
reddish-orange,  glossed  with  chestnut  on  the  breast,  and  thickly 
marked  throughout  with  round  blackish  spots,  which  on  the  breast 
and  tips  of  the  long  flank  feathers  change  to  bars.  Bill  bluish- 
black.    Feet  yellow. 

The/emoZe  is  without  the  white  patches  on  the  sides  of  the  rump, 
the  crescent  before  the  eye,  and  the  rich  purple  tint  on  the  head  and 
Beck.  The  upper  plumage  is  also  browner,  and  the  pale  bars  are 
less  distinct  and  handsome.  T  e  under  plumage  is  white  and  brown, 
with  irregular  blotches  of  a  darker  color,  instead  of  round  spots. 
The  wings  as  in  the  male.  The  young  birds  are  without  the  green 
speculum,  and  in  other  respects  are  like  the  female. 


:# 


^I' 


L-»  ,«M>..n,r^'*&-jj,- 


* 


AMERICAN  TEAL. 

(Jinas  crecea,  var.  Forster,  Phil.  Trans.  Ixii.  p.  419.  No.  51.  Rich* 
ARD.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  443.  ^nas  crecea,  Bonap.  Synops.  No. 
330.  American  Teal,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  504.  Green-Winged 
Teal  (Jlnas  crecea,)  Wilson,  viii.  p.  101.  pi.  70.  fig.  4.  Phil.  Mu- 
seum, No.  2832.) 

Sp.  Ciiaract.  —  Speculum  vivid  grass  green,  black  on  the  sides, 
margined  with  white  and  rufous  j  wing  coverts  brownish-ash ; 
tail  of  IG  feathers.  —  Male  with  the  head  and  neck  glossy  cheat- 
nut ;  a  green  band  on  each  side  of  the  head  ;  the  throat  black« 
Var.  (americana)  with  a  white  longitudinal  band  on  the  scapulars, 
and  a  broad  transverse  white  bar  on  the  shoulder :  these  marks 
wanting  in  the  European  individuals.  Female  wholly  dusky, 
skirted  with  whitish;  tlie  throat  white. 

The  Green-Winged  Teal,  as  a  species,  is  common  to  the 
northern  and  temperate  parts  of  both  continents.  The 
American  bird  appears  to  be  a  permanent  and  distinct  va- 
riety.    There  is,  according  to  Dr.  Richardson,  however,  in 


I 


AMERICAN  TEAL. 


401 


•  51.    Rich- 

Synops.  No. 

een- Winged 
Phil.  Mu- 

»  the  sides, 
»wnish-ash; 
oaay  cheat- 
iroat  black, 
5  scapulars, 
Siese  marks 
lly  dusky, 

on  to  the 
ts.  The 
5tinct  va- 
vever,  in 


the  Hudson's  Bay  Museum,  a  specimen  from  the  fur  coun- 
tries agreeing  in  all  respects  with  the  European  s^  \es. 
Our  variety  is  abundant  to  the  extremity  of  the  continent, 
both  in  the  woody  and  barren  districts  of  the  remote  fur 
countries,  of  Hudson's  Bay.  It  is  also  plentiful  about  Sev- 
ern river,  in  the  woods  and  plains  near  fresh  waters,  where 
it  breeds,  the  young  being  about  6  or  7  at  a  hatch.  It  feeds 
much  upon  fresh-water  insects,  seeds,  and  aquatic  plants, 
and  when  fat  is  delicate  food.  In  the  autumn  and  winter  it 
is  very  common  throughout  the  waters  of  the  United  States, 
both  in  the  interior  and  contiguous  to  the  sea  coast.  In  the 
course  of  the  winter  they  retire  as  far  south  as  Jamaica, 
and  are  probably  common  also  along  the  coasts  of  the  Mexi- 
can Gulf  It  frequents  ponds,  marshes,  the  reedy  shores  of 
creeks  and  rivers,  and  in  winter  is  very  abundant  in  the 
rice  plantations  of  the  South.  They  usually  fly  in  small 
parties,  feeding  mostly  by  night;  associating  with  the  Mal- 
lard, and  are  commonly  decoyed  by  its  call. 

The  Teal  is  found  in  the  north  of  Europe  as  far  as 
Greenland  and  Iceland,  and  it  also  inhabits  the  borders  of 
the  Caspian  to  the  south.  In  France  and  England  it  is  said 
to  breed.  They  are  commonly  seen  on  the  pools,  in  close 
companies  of  ten  or  twelve  together,  frequenting  the  rivers 
and  unfrozen  springs  in  winter,  where  they  subsist  on 
aquatic  plants.  They  fly  very  swiftly,  and  utter  a  sort  of 
whistling  cry.  The  Teal  breeds  in  the  fens,  continuing  in 
the  temperate  parts  of  Europe  the  whole  year.  It  conceals 
its  nest  among  the  bulrushes,  constructing?  it  of  their  stalks, 
and  lining  it  with  feathers ;  it  rests  also  sometimes  on  the 
surface  of  the  water,  so  as  to  rise  and  fall  with  the  flood. 
The  eggs  are  about  10  or  12,  of  a  soiled  white,  indistinctly 
marked  with  brown  spots.  The  female  takes  the  whole 
management  of  incubation ;  the  males,  at  this  time,  seem 
to  leave  them  and  associate  by  themselves  in  companies. 
34* 


1 


402 


WB9-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


\ 


The  American  Teals  in  the  autumn,  which  visit  this  quarter, 
are  also  for  the  most  part  young  birds  and  females,  the 
males  pursuing  a  different  route  apart  from  the  rest,  and  are 
rarely  seen  here  until  their  return  in  the  spring. 

'  According  to  Richardson,  the  American  Teal  is  about  15  inches  in 
length  :  the  wing  when  folded  7  inchea ;  the  bill  above,  1  inch  5 
lines ;  tarsus  1  inch  2  lines.  In  the  male,  the  head  and  adjoining 
half  of  the  neck  is  chestnut-brown.  Chin,  region  of  the  bill,  and 
forehead,  brownish-black.  Behind  the  eye  a  broad  duck-green  band, 
narrowly  edged  with  white.  Nuchal  crest  tipped  with  deep  indigo 
blue.  A  collar,  base  of  the  neck  above,  interscapulars,  part  of  the 
scapulars,  the  flanks  and  vent,  finely  waved  with  brownish-black  and 
white.  Outer  border  of  the  scapulars  black ;  the  interior  and  longer 
scapulars,  wing  coverts,  primaries,  posterior  part  of  the  back  and  tail, 
hair-brown.  Tail  coverts  velvet  black  and  green,  witli  whitish 
edges.  Speculum  half  velvet  black,  half  vivid  grass-^i  aen,  bordered 
above  and  below  with  brownish- white,  and  posterioily  en  the  tertia- 
ries  and  scapulars  with  black.  Breast  wood  brown,  with  round  black 
spots.  A  crescentic  band  on  the  shoulder ;  belly  and  under  lateral 
tail  coverts  white,  middle  ones  black.  Bill  bluish-black.  Irids 
yellow.  Feet  bluish-grey,  mixed  with  red.  Tracheal  dilatation  an 
osseous  capsule,  capable  of  holding  a  pea. 

The  female  is  without  the  crest,  and  brilliant  colors  on  the  head, 
as  well  as  the  stripes  on  the  scapulars,  vhe  black  under  tail  coverts, 
the  round  spots  on  the  breast,  and  all  tbe  fine  waved  markings  on 
the  base  of  the  neck,  flanks,  &c.  The  upper  plumage,  breast  and 
flanks,  is  liver-brown,  with  polo  margins.  Head  and  neck  the  same, 
with  smaller  specks.  Chin  and  belly  white,  the  latter  obscurely 
marked  with  brown. 

In  a  male  just  moulting  into  the  adult  plumage  (now  before  me.) 
The  bill  is  of  an  olive-grey,  dotted  beneath  the  epidermis  with  black, 
the  under  mandible  brownish  flesh  color,  also  spotted  and  tipped  with 
dusky.  The  irids  arc  umber-brown.  The  legs  and  feet  light  yellow- 
isli-grey,  with  darker  webs.  The  green  band  behind  the  eye  wants 
the  white  edging.  The  scapulars,  wing  coverts,  posterior  part  of  the 
back  and  tail  are  plain  dark  ash  color,  the  coverts  faintly  glossed 
with  green  ;  the  quills  dusky  brown.  The  undulated  back  feathers 
are  succeeding  others  which  are  simply  dusky  with  dull  rufous-white 
edgings.    The  speculum  is  complete  and  vivid,  according  to  the 


'  'SMMMMoafitaac;: 


mr—:'  rmaifi 


MUSK,   OR    MUSCOVY    DUCK. 


4oa 


jit  this  quarter, 
I  females,  the 
)  rest,  and  are 

out  15  inches  in 
above,  1  inch  5 
t  and  adjoining 
of  the  bill,  and 
ack-green  band, 
ith  deep  indigo 
ars,  part  of  the 
vnish-black  and 
irior  and  longer 
le  back  and  tail, 
.    witlj  whitish 
iiaen,  bordered 
/  c  n  the  tertia- 
ith  round  black 
I  under  lateral 
i-black.     Irida 
il  dilatation  an 

3  on  the  head, 

r  tail  covertB, 

markings  on 

,  breast  and 

leck  the  same, 

;ter  obscurely 

w  before  me.) 
lis  with  black, 
id  tipped  with 
;  light  yellow- 
10  eye  wants 
or  part  of  the 
intly  glossed 
Jack  feathers 
rufous-white 
rding  to  the 


:e 


'9 


petition  of  the  light,  the  brilliant  part  i»  golden-green  or  bluish« 
green,  broadly  bordered  above  with  pale  rufous,  below  with  white. 
The  black  spots  of  the  breast  not  fully  developed  externally,  but  con- 
spicuous on  raising  the  feathers.  Lateral  tail  coverts  buff,  the  under 
ones  deep  black  with  broad  whitish-buff  edgings  and  tips.  The 
central  upper  tail  coverts  dark  grey,  tinged  witli  buff,  the  lateral 
ones  glossy  green,  internally  edged  with  pale  buff.  Tlie  white  cres- 
centic  shoulder  band,  scarcely  indicated  by  some  lighter  barred  feath- 
ers.    Length  15  inches. 


Subgenus.  —  *Gymnathus. 

With  the  cheeks  bare  of  feathers,  and  covered  by  a  papillose  cu- 
ticle which  extends  behind  the  eyes,  and  enlarges  in  the  male  into 
a  caruncle  at  the  base  of  the  bill.  The  upper  mandible  terminates 
in  a  sharp  curved  nail.  The  legs  very  short  and  stout ;  the  nails  of 
the  toes  are  large,  and  that  of  the  inner  one  hooked. 

This  very  singular  Duck  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  warm  and  tropi- 
cal parts  of  America,  from  whence  it  seldom  migrates  to  any  consid- 
erable distance.  In  its  domestic  condition,  with  which  we  are  fa- 
miliar, it  has  a  slow,  waddling,  and  heavy  gait ;  yet  in  the  wild 
state  it  is  said  to  perch  on  trees  or  stumps  on  the  borders  of  rivers 
and  swamps.  They  nest  also  in  trees,  from  whence,  when  hatched, 
the  female  conveys  her  young  in  the  bill  to  the  water.  In  the  mild 
regions  of  their  nativity  they  hatch  two  or  three  times  in  the  year, 
and  are  extremely  prolific,  laying  from  12  to  18  eggs.  They  moult 
in  September,  and  so  completely  as  to  be  entirely  denuded  of  feath- 
ers, and  unable  to  fly.     Their  voice  is  little  more  than  a  mere  hiss. 


MUSK  OR  MUSCOVY  DUCK. 

(Jlnas  moschuta,  Willughey,  p.  294.  Linn.  Syst.  i.  p.  199.  sp.  16. 
Lath.  Ind,  sp.  37.  Id.  Synops.  iii.  p.  47G.  sp.  31.  Sloane,  Hist. 
Jamaica,  p.  324.  No.  8.  Le  Canard  Musqid,  Buff.  PI.  Enlum. 
989.  JInas  sylvestris  magnitudinc  anscris,  Marcgrave,  Hist.  Nat. 
Brazil,  p.  213.  Jpeca-guacu,  Piso,  Hist.  Nat.  Canard  Sauvage  du 
Brcsil,  Salerne,  p.  438.  Jnas  sylvestris  Brasiliensis,  Ray,  p. 
149.  No.  3.) 


404 


WEn-FOOTED   BIRD!. 


\ 


8p.  CiiARAcr.  —  No  ■peoulum;  the  three  firat  priniariet  white :  tail 
of  20  feathers.  —  Male  dark  brown,  gloiwd  with  green  ;  wing  cov- 
ert*, belly  and  Jioiid,  white,  the  latter  varied  with  black ;  brcaat 
and  below  brown.  Female  darker ;  and  the  naked  space  about  the 
head  smaller. 

The  Musk  Duck  derives  its  name  from  its  exhaling  at 
times  a  strong  odor  of  that  drug.  The  term  Muscovy  is 
'  wholly  misapplied,  since  it  is  an  exclusive  native  of  the 
warmer  and  tropical  parts  of  America  and  its  islands. 
They  exist  wild  in  Brazil,  Demerara,  and  the  overflowed 
savannas  of  Guiana,  and  are  occasionally  seen  along  the 
coasts  of  the  Mexican  Gulf,  in  the  lower  part  of  Mississippi, 
and  stragglers  are  frequently  observed  along  the  coasts  of 
the  warmer  parts  of  the  Union. 

They  feed  in  the  tropical  savannas  chiefly  upon  the  seeds 
of  some  grasses  which  resemble,  and  are  called,  wild  rice ; 
flying  in   the   morning  to  those  immense  and   overflowed 
meadows  to  feed,  and  returning  in  the  evening  to   their 
roosts  near  the  sea.     They  are  said  to  pass  the  warmer 
parts  of  the  day  indolently  perched  upon  trees,  which  over- 
hang the  rivers  and  marshes,  in  the  hollows  of  which,  like 
our  Wood  Ducks,  they  construct  their  nest,  and  convey  the 
young  to  the  water  as  soon  as  they  are  hatched.     They  breed 
at  all  times  of  the  year,  and  are  very  prolific,  but  many  of 
the  young  fall  victims  to  the  Caymans  and  other  predatory 
animals  with  which  those  countries  are  infested.     The  eggs 
are  nearly  quite  round  and  of  a  greenish-white  color.     The 
male  is  very  ardent  and  readily  couples  with  the  Domes- 
tic Duck.     In  a  wild  state  they  are  very  shy  and  watchful 
and  approached  with  difliculty. 

The  Musk  Duck  is  now  commonly  domesticated,  feeds 
and  fattens  well,  is  deservedly  esteemed  as  food,  more  par- 
ticularly the  young,  and  though  derived  from  the  mildest  of 
climates,  endures  the  winter  of  the  Eastern  and  Northern 
States  without  any  difficulty  or  hardship.     In  the  poultry 


'**'"«*«i»iWiiaiii'i,''JiiiMiiiii 


'.:^l...'  -^^-.J-tL-Z 


BEA    DUCKS. 


405 


exhaling  at 
Muscovy  is 
itive  of  the 
its  islands, 
overflowed 
along  the 
IVIississippi, 
e  coasts  of 

n  the  seeds 
wild  rice ; 
overflowed 
?  to   their 
e  warmer 
hich  over- 
hich,  like 
onvey  the 
hey  breed 
many  of 
predatory 
The  eggs 
or.     The 
B  Domes- 
watchful 

,  feeds 
nore  par- 
lildest  of 
*forthern 

poultry 


yard,  like  Turkeys,  they  have  very  singular  and  exciting 
antipathies.  On  hucIi  occasions  both  Ducks  and  Drakes 
shako  their  tails,  stretch  out  their  heads,  and  hiss  and  ({uack 
in  a  low  tom;  with  great  uflWctation  of  anger  and  earnest. 
The  n)iil(!  puffs  and  blows  very  much,  but  the  whole  one  by 
one  make  tlieir  retreat  before  a  small  clucking  Hen,  who 
seems  to  view  them  with  total  indifference.  Two  males  will 
also  sometimes  wage  a  very  warm  but  harmless  war  ia 
jealousy.  In  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  these  domestic 
birds  begin  to  lay  as  early  as  February. 

The  Musk  Duck  is  about  2  feet  long.  The  bill  about  3  inches, 
red,  except  about  the  nostrils  and  at  tip,  where  it  is  dark  brown. 
A  broad  red  and  naked  skin  sprinkled  with  papillae,  covers  the 
checks,  extends  behind  the  eyes  and  swells  out  at  the  base  of  the  bill 
into  a  red  caruncle,  which  Belon  compares  to  a  cherry.  The  crown 
black  ;  temples,  chin,  and  throat,  white,  varied  with  spots  of  black. 
Breast  and  upper  part  of  the  belly  brown,  mixed  with  white.  Back 
and  rump  brown,  glossed  with  golden-green.  The  lower  part  of  the 
belly  white.  The  three  first  quills  white,  the  remainder  brown. 
The  tail  very  large  and  full,  consisting  of  20  feathers,  golden-green, 
except  the  outer  feather  on  each  side,  which  is  white.  Legs  red. 
The  female  more  obscurely  colored,  and  the  naked  space  about  the 
head  smaller. 


SEA  DUCKS.     (FuLiGULA,  Bonap,  and  Ray  in  part.) 

In  these  birds  the  bill  ia  generally  similar  with  that  of  the  prece* 
ding  genus.  The  head  is  thick,  wholly  feathered,  and  the  neck  stout 
and  much  shorter  than  the  body.  The  fkf.t  are  placed  very  far 
back,  and  are  large  and  stout ;  the  tibia  partly  covered  by  the  skin 
of  the  belly,  and  furnished  in  front  with  an  acute  prominence;  tar- 
sus much  shorter  than  the  middle  toe,  extremely  compressed ;  the 
toes  rather  long,  middle  one  longest ;  the  inner  shorter  than  the 
outer  ;  the  webs  entire,  very  broad  :  hind  toe  equal  to  a  joint  of  the 
middle  one,  furnished  with  a  membrane,  touching  the  ground  at  tip. 
Wings  rather  short,  1st  and  2d,  or  2d  and  3d  primaries,  about  equal, 
and  longest.     Tail  of  from  12  to  20  feathers. 

The  femule  very  different  from  the  male  in  plumage ;  the  male 


•*-VT^^]j^r^ 


406 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


hardly  changing  from  season.  The  young  similar  to  the  female,  only 
assuming  the  adult  dress  in  the  second  or  third  year.  They  moult 
twice  a  year  without  changing  color.  Tracheal  capsule  of  the  malB 
large.     Plumage  closer  and  thicker  than  in  the  ordinary  Ducks. 

The  birds  of  this  family  mostly  dwell  in  the  north.  They  migrate 
in  large  flocks,  chiefly  along  the  sea  coast ;  seeming  to  have  a  pre- 
dilection for  the  sea,  however  boisterous  its  waves,  and  swim  and  dive 
with  great  agility,  proceeding  considerable  distances  under  water, 
and  dive  habitually  both  for  food  and  amusement.  They  are,  however, 
somewhat  nocturnal,  feeding  and  travelling  sometimes  by  night.  In 
their  migrations,  however,  several  of  the  kinds  proceed  on  theif 
aerial  voyage  by  day,  particularly  in  blowing  and  hazy  weather  j 
at  such  times,  also,  in  autumn  and  winter,  they  are  seen  abroad 
in  the  bays  and  estuaries,  throughout  the  principal  part  of  the 
day.  They  feed  chiefly  upon  mollusca,  diminutive  shell-fish,  small 
jtry,  and  marine  vegetables,  after  all  which  they  usually  dive.  They 
are  monogamous ;  breeding  generally  near  fresh  waters,  and  lining 
the  nest  with  down ;  the  eggs  are  numerous.  The  female  alone  in- 
cubates, and  leads  the  young  to  the  water  after  their  food  as  soon  as 
they  are  hatched.  From  the  position  of  their  feet  they  are  scarcely 
able  to  walk,  being  obliged  ta  bring  the  body  nearly  erect ;  they 
run,  however,  somewhat  rapidly,  though  with  an  awkward  attitude, 
appearing  to  fall  at  every  attempt  in  progress.  They  swim  deep  in 
the  water ;  and  their  flight,  though  often  steady,  rapid,  and  long  con- 
tinued, is  low,  heavy,  and  attended  with  a  whistling  sound. 

Though  chiefly  hyperboreal,  they  are  spread  more  or  less  over  the 
whole  globe,  and  the  species  are  numerouSi 


I 


A. 


I    ■ 


Subgenus.  —  Somateria,  (Leach,  Genus  of.) 

In  these  the  bill  is  small,  elevated  at  base,  extending  up  the  fore- 
head, and  divided  by  a  salient  point  of  the  frontal  feathers,  towards 
the  extremity  narrow  and  blunt;  nostrils  about  medial.  Wings 
short,  the  tertiaries  long,  and  generally  curved  outwards  so  as  to 
overlap  the  primaries.     Neck  thick.    Tail  of  14  feathers. 

The  plumage  is  remarkably  thick  and  close :  the  down  valuable, 
and  of  an  exquisite  softness.  These  are  exclusively  marine ;  breed- 
ing near  the  sea ;  but  are  comparatively  not  very  prolific.  The  male 
Eider  does  not  acquire  his  perfect  plumage  before  the  fourth  year. 
Allied  to  the  genus  Anser. 


:»fV    ,-  v^'ij  ,'; 


'i'^ 


lie  female,  only 
They  moult 
lie  of  the  maJb 
ry  Ducks. 

They  migrate 
to  have  a  pre> 
swim  and  diw 

under  water, 
r  are,  however, 

by  night.  In 
}ceed  on  their 
lazy  weather ; 
i  seen  abroad 
il  part  of  the 
lell-fish,  small 
y  dive.  They 
Ts,  and  lining 
male  alone  io- 
bod  as  soon  as 
Y  are  scarcely 
7  erect;  they 
ward  attitude, 
swim  deep  in 
and  long  con- 
>und. 

less  over  ths 


3  of.) 


up  the  for»- 
lers,  towards 
lial.  Wings 
ards  so  as  to 
s. 

wn  valuable, 

rine ;  breed- 

The  male 

fourth  year. 


EIDER  DUCK. 


t'l.V 


,v? 


(Fvligula  molliasima,  Bonap.  Synops.  331.  Anas  mollissima,  Lath. 
Ind.  sp.  35.  Tehm.  Man.  d'Oin.  ii.  p.  848.  Wilson,  viii.  p.  122. 
pi.  71.  fig.  2.  and  3.  [male  and  female.]  Somateria  mollissima, 
Leach.  Richard,  and  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  448.  Eider 
Duck,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  480.  and  Brit.  Zool.  p.  152.  t.  Q. 
[male  and  female.]  Great  black  and  white  Duck,  Edwards,  pi. 
98.  Oie  h  duvet,  mi  Eider,  Buff.  Ois.  ix.  p.  103.  t.  6.  PI.  Enlum. 
208,  and  209.  [male  and  female.]     Phil.  Museum,  No.  2706.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Frontal  plates  of  the  bill  linear-oblong:  no  specu- 
lum.—  Male  black,  head,  neck,  breast,  and  back  white ;  front  and 
aides  of  the  crown  blue-black.  Female  wholly  palish  rufous, 
broadly  barred  with  black ;  one  or  two  narrow  white  indistinct 
bands  across  the  wings. 

The  Eider  Duck,  remarkable  for  the  softness  of  its  valu- 
able down,  seems  thus  purposely  provided  by  nature  with 
a  clothing  suited  to  the  inclement  regions  in  which  it 
generally  dwells.  Living  mostly  out  at  sea,  it  is  thus 
enabled  to  endure  the  severity  of  the  glacial  regions,  for 


408 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


I 


which  it  has  such  a  predilection.  The  older  birds  are 
indeed  only  partially  migratory,  moving  no  further  south- 
ward in  winter  than  to  permanent  open  water.  Its  presence, 
with  a  few  other  birds  of  like  habits  and  hardihood,  con- 
tributes to  give  an  air  of  animation  to  the  bleak  and  dreary 
coasts  of  Greenland  and  Spitzbergen.  They  are  equally 
abundant  in  Lapland,  Norway  and  Iceland,  at  Bering's 
Island,  and  the  Kuriles,  as  well  as  in  the  Hebrides  and 
Orkneys  in  Scotland ;  they  are  more  rare  in  Sweden  and 
Denmark,  passengers  in  Germany,  and  the  young  only 
appear  on  the  European  coasts  of  the  Atlantic.  They  are 
found  throughout  Arctic  America,  and  in  severe  winters 
sometimes  wander  as  far  south  to  sea,  as  the  capes  of  the 
Delaware.  In  the  depth  of  winter,  or  from  November  to 
the  middle  of  February,  the  old  birds  are  also  usually  seen 
in  small  numbers  towards  the  extremities  of  Massachusetts 
Bay,  and  along  the  coast  of  Maine.  A  few  pairs  even  have 
been  known  to  breed  on  some  rocky  islands  beyond  Port- 
land. Mr.  Audubon  found  several  nesting  on  the  isle  of 
Grand  Manan  in  the  Bay  of  Funday ;  but  on  the  bleak 
and  wintry  coast  of  Labrador  they  were  seen  by  him  in 
abundance,  nesting  and  laying  from  April  to  the  last  of 
May.  Their  eggs  were  from  6  to  10,  dull  greenish-white,  and 
smooth.  The  nest  was  usually  placed  under  the  shelter  of 
a  low  prostrate  branched  and  dwarf  Fir  (probably  Pinus 
JBanksiana,)  and  sometimes  several  are  made  under  the 
same  bush  within  a  foot  or  two  of  each  other.  The  ground- 
work of  the  nest,  as  usual,  was  sea-weeds  and  moss,  but 
the  down  of  the  female  parent  is  only  added  when  all  the 
eggs  are  laid.  The  Duck  now  acquiring  an  attachment  for 
her  eggs,  was  at  this  time  easily  approached,  her  flight  bein^f 
even  and  rather  slow.  As  soon  as  the  task  of  incubation 
has  commenced,  the  males  leave  the  land,  associate  together 
in  large  flocks  out  at  sea ;  in  July  begin  to  moult,  and  in 


I  / 


ElUGR   DUCK. 


*■»,' 


409 


birds  are 
ther  south- 
8  presence, 
hood,  con- 
and  dreary 
ire  equally 
Lt  Bering's 
brides  and 
kveden  and 
oung  only 
They  are 
ere  winters 
spes  of  the 
jvember  to 
sually  seen 
ssachusetts 
i  even  have 
yond  Port- 
the  isle  of 
the    bleak 
by  him  in 
|the  last  of 
white,  and 
shelter  of 
bly  Pinus 
under  the 
ic  ground- 
moss,  but 
n  all  the 
hment  for 
ight  bein^ 
Incubation 
together 
It,  and  in 


August  become  so  bare  as  to  be  scarcely  able  to  rise  out  of 
the  water. 

As  soon  as  the  young  are  hatched  they  are  led  to  the 
water,  by  their  attentive  parent,  and  there  remain,  excepting 
in  the  night  and  in  tempestuous  weather.     Their  greatest 
enemy,  besides  man,  is  the  Saddle-Back  Gull  (Larus  ma- 
rinusj  the  young,  however,  elude  his  pursuit  by  diving,  at 
which  both  old  and  young  are  very  expert.     The  down, 
though  so  valuable,  is  neglected  in  Labrador.*     It  is  so 
light  and  elastic  that  two  or  three  pounds  of  it,  pressed  into 
a  ball  that  may  be  held  in  the  hand,  will  swell  out  to  such 
an  extent  as  to  fill  and  distend  the  foot-covering  of  a  large 
bed.     The  best  kind,  termed  live  down,  is  that  which  the 
Eider  plucks  to  line  the  nest,  the  down  taken  from  the  dead 
bird  is  greatly  inferior,  and  it  is  rare  that  so  valuable  a  bird 
is  now  killed  for  the  purpose.     To  augment  the  quantity  of 
down  from  the  same  bird,  the  eggs,  which  are  very  palata- 
ble, are  taken,  and  the  female  again  strips  herself  to  cover 
the  second  and  smaller  hatch.     If  the  nest  be  a  second 
time  plundered,  as  the  female  can  furnish  no  additional 
lining,  the  male  now  lends  his  aid,  and  strips  the  coveted 
down  from  his  breast,  which  is  well  known  by  its  paler 
color.     The  last  laying,  of  only  two  or  three  eggs,  is  always 
left  to  kindle  their  hopes  of  progeny,  for  if  this  be  taken 
they  will  abandon  the  place,  but  thus  indulged,  they  con- 
tinue to  return  the  following  year,  accompanied  by  their 
young.     The  most  southern  breeding  place  of  this  species 
in  Europe  is  the  Fern  isles,  on  the  coast  of  Northumber- 
land ;  and  voyagers  who  have  ventured  to  the  dreary  ex- 
tremity of  Arctic  Europe,  hear,  in  summer,  from  the  cav- 
erns and  rocks  of  the  final  Cape,  the  deep  moan  of  the 
complaining  Eider.     The  eggs  are  commonly  5  or  6,  but  it 


*  For  this  Information  I  am  indebted  to  my  very  obliging  friend,  Mr.  Audubon. 

35 


410 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


i 


is  not  unusual  to  find  upwards  of  10  in  the  same  nest, 
which  is  thus  occupied  peaceably  by  two  females.     In  Nor- 
way and  Iceland,  the  Eider  districts  are  considered  as  val- 
uable property,  carefully  preserved,  and  transmitted  by  in- 
heritance.    There  are  spots  that  contain  many  hundreds  of 
these  nests ;  and  the  Icelanders  are  at  the  utmost  pains  to 
invite  the  Eiders,  each  into  his  own  estate ;  and  when  they 
perceive  that  they  begin  to  frequent  some  of  the  islets 
which  maintain  herds,  they  soon  remove  the  cattle  and  dogs 
to  the  main  land,  to  procure  the  Eiders  an  undisturbed  re- 
treat; and  to  accommodate  them,  sometimes  cut  out  holes  in 
rows  on  the  smooth  sloping  banks,  of  which,  to  save  them- 
selves trouble,  they  willingly  take  possession  and  form  their 
nests.     These  people  have  even  made  many  small  islands 
for  this  purpose,  by  disjoining  promontories  from  the  conti- 
nent.    It  is  in  these  retreats  of  peace  and  solitude  that  the 
Eiders  love  to  settle ;  though  they  are  not  averse  to  nestle 
near  habitations,  if  they  experience  no  molestation.     "  A 
person,"  says  Horrebow,  "  as  I  myself  have  witnessed,  may 
walk  among  these  birds  while  they  are  sitting,  and  not  scare 
them ;  he  may  even  take  the  eggs  and  yet  they  will  renew 
their  laying  as  often  as  three  times."     According  to  the 
relation  of  Sir  George  Mackenzie,*  on  the  8th  of  June  at 
Vidde,  the  Eider  Ducks,  at  all  other  times  of  the  year  per- 
fectly wild,  had  now  assembled  in  great  numbers  to  nestle. 
The   boat,  by  which  they   approached  the  shore,  passed 
through  multitudes  of  these  beautiful  fowls,  which  scarcely 
gave  themselves  the  trouble  to  go  out  of  the  way.     Between 
the  landing  place  and  the  governor's  house  the  ground  was 
strewed  with  them,  and  it  required  some  caution  to  avoid 
treading  on  the  nests.     The  Drakes  were  walking  about, 
uttering  a  sound  very  like  the  cooing  of  Doves,  and  were 


^1 


*  Travela  in  Iceland,  p.  IS6.  (4to.  Ed.  3.) 


EIDER   DUCK. 


411 


me  nest. 
In  Nor- 
id  as  val- 
d  by  in- 
idreds  of 
:  pains  to 
hen  they 
he  islets 
and  dogs 
irbed  re- 
t  holes  in 
,ve  them- 
)rra  their 
1  islands 
he  conti- 
that  the 
to  nestle 


(( 


on. 
sed,  may 
not  scare 
ill  renew 
ig  to  the 
r  June  at 
year  per- 
to  nestle. 
;,  passed 

scarcely 
Between 
ound  was 

to  avoid 
Ig  about, 
ind  were 


even  more  familiar  than  the  common  Domestic  Ducks. 
All  round  the  house,  on  the  garden  wall,  on  the  roofs,  and 
even  in  the  inside  of  the  houses,  and  in  the  chapel,  were 
numbers  of  Ducks  sitting  on  their  nests.  Such  as  had  not 
been  long  on  the  nest  generally  left  it  on  being  approached ; 
but  those  that  had  more  than  one  or  two  eggs  sat  perfectly 
quiet,  suffering  us  to  touch  them,  and  sometimes  making  a 
gentle  use  of  their  bills  to  remove  our  hands.  When  a 
Drake  happens  to  be  near  his  mate,  he  is  extremely  agitated 
when  any  one  approaches  her.  He  passes  and  repasses 
between  her  and  the  object  of  his  suspicion,  raising  his 
head  and  cooing. 

One  femdie,  during  the  whole  time  of  laying,  generally 
gives  half  a  pound  of  neat  down,  and  double  that  quantity 
before  cleansing.  According  to  Troil,*  in  the  year  1750,  the 
Iceland  Company  sold  as  much  uf  this  article  as  amounted 
to  i£850  sterlings  besides  deducting  what  was  sent  directly 
toGluckstad.  >;    '  .^     r  ^a 

•  At  the  time  of  pairing,  according  to  Brunnich,  and  Ski- 
oldebrand,  the  male  is  heard  continually  calling  out  with  a 
raucous  and  moaning  voice  *ha  ho,  'ha  ho ;  but  the  cry  of 
the  female  resembles  that  of  the  Common  Duck.  At  this 
exciting  period  the  mdes,  more  numerous  than  their  mates, 
have  sharp  contests  with  each  other,  and  the  vanquished 
and  superannuated  are  afterwards  seen  wandering  about 
at  sea,  in  much  milder  climates  than  the  rest  of  their  frater- 
nity. Both  birds  labor  in  concert,  while  forming  the  nest ; 
and  though  the  male  gives  no  assistance  in  hatching,  dur- 
ing the  period  of  laying,  he  keeps  strict  watch  in  the 
vicinity,  giving  notice  of  any  danger  as  soon  as  it  appears. 
The  Ravens,  it  seems,  no  less  than  the  Gulls,  are  the  ene- 
mies of  this  valuable  bird,  often  sucking  the  eggs,  and  kill- 


Letters  on  Iceland. 


412 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


\ 


ing  the  young ;  the  female  therefore  hastens  to  convey  her 
Inrood  to  the  sea,  sometimes  even  carrying  them  on  her 
back  to  the  element  in  which  they  are  thenceforth  destined 
to  live.     The  male  now  also  leaves  her»  and  neither  of  them 
return  more  that  season  permanently  to  the  land.     Several 
hatches  associate  togetlier  at  sea,  and  form  flocks  of  20  or 
30,  attended  by  the  females  who  lead  them;  and  are  seen 
continually  splashing  the  water,  to  raise  with  the  mud  and 
sediment,  the  insects  aiid  small  shell-fish  for  such  of  the 
young  as  are  too  weak  to  dive  for  themselves.    The  Eider 
dives  deep  afler  fry,  and  feeds  upon  small  shell-fish,  muscles, 
and  univalves,  and  sometimes  on  the  Sea-Urchin  (Echinus) 
and  various  kinds  of  marine  insects  and  sea-weeds,  and  in 
summer  mostly  on  the  sofl  mollusca  so   abundant  in  Uie 
Arctic  and  hyperbweal  seas.     Their  flesh  is  dark  and  fishy, 
though  sufiiciendy  tender,  and  that  of  the  young  and  the 
female  may  be  considered  good.    They  are  commonly  eaten 
by  the  Greenlanders,  and  their  skin  is  esteemed  as  an  ex* 
cellent  inner  garment.     Prepared  with  the  feathers  lefl  on, 
they  also  form  an  article  of  commerce  with  the  North, 
and  particularly  with  the  Chinese.     Fitted  purposely  for 
inhabiting  the  coldest  climutes  and  the  sea,  they  do  not  long 
survive  in  temperate  regions,  and  all  attempts  to  domes- 
ticate them  have  consequently  failed. 

In  the  breeding  season,  in  Norway,  some  of  the  male 
Eiders  are  seen  roaming  about  unpaired,  either  superan- 
nuated or  unable  to  keep  possession  of  the  females.  Mr. 
Audubon  remarks,  that  the  Sea  Ducks  (Eiders,  Surf  Duck, 
Velvet,  and  Scoter)  moult  in  July,  and  by  the  10th  of 
August  ve  so  naked  of  feathers,  and  even  destitute  of 
quills,  as  to  be  unable  to  rise  either  from  the  water  or  the 
ground.  At  this  juncture,  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  the 
Indians  in  large  companies  assemble  in  their  canoes  at  the 
entrances  of  the  bays  frequented  by  these  birds,  and  divi- 


^-'"T'"'''^^^iMr^^ 


EIDER   DUCK. 


413 


ding  themselves  on  either  side  of  the  head-land,  fire  their 
guns  with  powder,  and  hooting  and  yelling  as  loud  as  possi- 
ble, drive  the  terrified  birds  into  the  cove  at  high  tide, 
where  the  natives  remain  until  the  ebb.  The  Ducks  are 
thus  left  grounded  on  the  naked  coast,  and  are  then  easily 
dispatched  with  clubs.  In  this  most  destructive  way,  as 
many  as  450  or  upwards  have  been  taken  in  two  hours. 
Many,  if  not  all  of  these,  as  well  as  the  Loons  by  which 
they  were  accompanied,  Mr.  A.  believed  to  be  ba  Ten  or  un- 
paired birds,  which  had  not  proceeded  to  the  north  with  the 
rest  of  the  flocks.    '-■>•■•«'  -;>.ivn  m,v4.--.'..vc,.-  yr^^-^.  ,u,^,'  ■  ,^vsr:, 

The  total  length  of  the  Eider  is  about  25J^  inches ;  the  closed  wing 
12  inches  9  lines ;  the  bill  above  to  its  utmost  extension  along  the 
front  8  inches  1  line,  to  the  intersecting  point  of  the  frontal  feathers 
34  inches  ;  tarsus  2  inches  1  line.  In  the  mahf  there  is  on  each  side 
the  frontal  plate  and  sides  of  the  head  above  and  through  the  eyes 
a  very  wide  band  of  rich  violet-black,  whose  extremities  unite 
upon  the  front.  The  cheeks,  angular  band  on  the  summit  of  the 
head  as  well  as  the  occiput,  pale,  or  siskin-green  fading  off  into  the 
surrounding  white  plumage.  Cheeks,  chin,  neck,  breast,  back,  scap- 
ulars, lesser  coverts,  curved  tertiaries,  sides  of  the  rump,  and  under 
wing  coverts,  white ;  the  tertiaries  faintly  tinged  with  greenish- 
yellow,  and  the  breast  with  reddish-white  or  flesh  color,  deepest 
towards  its  junction  with  the  black  below.  Greater  coverts,  quills, 
rump,  tail,  and  its  coverts,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  under  plumage, 
pitch-black  ;  but  the  ends  of  the  quills  and  tail  fading  into  dusky- 
brown  ;  the  posterior  greater  coverts  have  a  tinge  of  violet.  The 
bill  oil-green.  Legs  greenish-yellow.  Iris  brown.  Closed  wings 
nearly  5  inches  shorter  than  the  tail.     Nostrils  impervious. 

The  female  is  bright  yellowish-rufous,  transversely  barred  with 
black.  Wing  coverts  dusky-brown,  edged  with  dull  rufous;  the 
greater  coverts  and  secondaries  narrowly  tipped  with  white,  so  as  to 
produce  the  appearance  of  one  or  two  indistinct  bars.  Head  and 
upper  part  of  the  neck  marked  with  dusky  stripes.  Under  plumage 
clove-brown,  with  obscure  darker  blotches.  —  The  young  malexQ'^ 
sembles  the  female. 


35* 


rfK'n.f 


414 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


.■■:'»f> 


;js-W'. 


^"^tri^.:'^;  ■-:%    .^^»M;  -i 


KING  DUCK. 


■^ 
^ 


(Fuligula  spectabilis,  Bonap.  Synopa.  No.  832.    ^nas  spectabilis, 

Linn.  Faun.  Suec.  No.  112.     Lath.  Ind.  No.  36.  Tehm.  ii.  p.  851. 

.  Somateria  spectabilis,  Leach.  Richard,  and  Swains.  North.  Zool. 

\  ii.  p.  447.     King  Duck,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  481.    Grey-headed 

■  ^  Duck,  Edwards,  pi.  154.    Le  Canard  d  tite  grise,  Buff.  Ois.  iz. 

p.  253.) 

Sp.  Charact.  — Frontal  plates  of  the  bill  broad,  and  rounded  :  no 
speculum.  —  Male  black;  neck  and  back  white,  the  crown  and 
nape  bluish-grey ;  an  arrow-shaped  black  mark  on  the  throat. 
Female  similar  with  that  of  the  Eider  :  but  with  the  frontal  plate 
nearly  vertical. 

This  species,  so  nearly  allied  to  the  Eider,  is  also  an  in- 
habitant  of  the  same  glacial  regions,  living  generally  out 
at  sea,  and  feeding  independently  of  the  land,  chiefly  upon 
the  mollusca  which  abound  in  the  Arctic  Sea.  They  are 
never  seen  in  fresh  waters,  and  only  resort  to  land  for  the 
indispensable  purposes  of  reproduction.  Being  well  pro- 
vided with  a  thick  and  downy  robe,  they  are  little  inclined 
to  change  their  situation,  however  rigorous  the  climate, 
and,  as  the  frost  invades  their  resorts,  they  continually  re- 
cede farther  out  to  sea,  and  dwell  securely  amidst  eternal 
barriers  of  ice  and  all  the  horrors  of  an  arctic  winter.  The 
King  Duck,  still  more  sedentary  than  the  Eider,  is  seldom 
seen  beyond  the  59th  parallel,  except  in  the  depth  of  winter, 
when,  according  to  Audubon,  they  are  observed  off  the  coast 
of  Halifax,  in  Nova  Scotia,  Newfoundland,  d&c.  and  a  few 
have  been  obtained  off  Boston  and  at  Eastport  in  Maine. 
They  abound  in  Greenland  and  Spitzbergen,  visit  and  some- 
time? breed  in  the  Orkneys,  and  other  of  the  remote  Scottish 
isles.  A  few  are  also  occasionally  seen  on  the  coasts  of  the 
Baltic  and  in  Denmark.  They  breed  sometimes  in  the  crev- 
ices of  rocks  impending  over  the  sea,  making  a  nest  of  sticks 


KINO   DUCK. 


415 


and  moss,  lined  with  the  down  of  the  breast  in  the  manner  of 
the  Eider.  The  eggs  are  5  or  6  in  number,  rather  less  than 
those  of  the  Goose,  and  r**  ..  whitish  color.  The  flesh  is 
said  to  be  palatable,  the  gibbous  part  of  the  bill  being  ac- 
counted a  delicacy,  and  the  do  '^n ,  collected  by  the  Green- 
landers,  is  esteemed  of  equal  value,  with  that  of  the  prece- 
ding species.  Inhabiting  all  parts  of  the  hyperboreal  re- 
gions, they  are  found  on  the  opposite  side  of  America  in 
Siberia  and  Kamtschatka. 

The  length  of  the  male  of  this  epecies  is  about  24^  inches ;  the 
wing  11^  ;  of  the  bill  to  the  front  1  inch  2  hnes  :  the  tarsus  1  inch 
lOj^  lines.  The  height  of  the  frontal  plates  1^  inches,  the  breadth  1 
inch.  In  the  male,  the  frontlet,  circumference  of  the  frontal  plates, 
under  eye-lid,  edge  of  the  upper  one,  and  two  converging  bands  on 
the  throat,  meeting  on  the  chin,  rich  velvet-black.  Top  of  the  head 
and  nape  bluish-grey.  Cheeks  of  a  shining  pistachio-green.  Line 
over  the  eye  extending  to  the  nape,  and  the  breast  ochre-yellow. 
Neck,  fore  part  of  the  back,  most  of  the  lesser  wing  coverts,  and 
the  sides  of  the  rump  white.  Scapulars,  greater  coverts,  lesser 
quills,  curved  tertiaries,  rump,  tail  coverts,  and  under  plumage,  ink 
black.  Borders  of  the  wings,  greater  quills  and  tail,  blackish- 
brown.  Bill  vermilion-red,  the  nail  of  it  strong  and  vaulted,  flesh 
color ;  frontal  plates  and  base  of  the  lower  mandible  dutch-orange. 
Legs  ochre-yellow.  Frontlet,  rising  from  behind  the  nostrils,  nearly 
perpendicular  to  the  bill,  compressed  and  bounded  laterally  by 
two  broad,  flat,  rounded  fleshy  plates.  Nostrils  pervious.  Wings 
much  shorter  than  the  tail.  The  bill  of  the  female  ia  shorter  than  that 
of  the  Eider.  The  young  male  has  the  head  and  neck  of  a  dusky  yel- 
lowish-grey, crowded  with  blackish  spots.  The  under  plumage 
mostly  pitch  black,  with  yellowish-brown  edgings.  Breast  and 
flanks  yellowish-brown,  spotted  and  barred  with  black.  Belly  the 
same  color  intimately  mized.    Bill  as  in  the  female. 


f>!i.h:'i-    ''ll\        ti^i      -■•:•■      ■)\.\'^-;H>i';- 

fV !  M  ;- 

>(■<■-:•:?<' rf.f«  ••F-r"':'     ■" 

:  ■   --^  -ii'yfp.. 

i>i»iiiK'^    j-„i.'j(-i.';,  .1;     ■','i'i"    -'■■ 

^iUk'-il^.-: 

/;"■•■'     '■'  ,■'     -f ■'-..'•     I    ;     ' 

-■-"■■#.- 

0\              ,.<;"v-!  v^'f.      ^'■i.KSi'     -■"■■Hi     -.; 

r^'Mt  -. 

r'\r',       ^:^'--' 

•  **! 

••''.;■„•    ■;;:■      ;  ■;■■«-  \i.;:-~i[i-t,i',i,  .r-r>^'- 

■  ■■■',■  •"     '    ■ 

,.,„;.    .;,,   ..^   ■. 

:  'yffi  f/^^V' 

^y  ■■:?* 


;-v;>->|^!' !: 


416 


WED-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


.j^-.,.'.  *l4.i»»  »-i.,.Vii 


Subgenus.  —  O.tsEMfA,  Bmap.  (Qenus  of,  Fleming.) 

With  the  bill  broad,  and  gibbous  above  the  noatrilH,  its  margint 
dilated  ;  lamelliform  teeth  cosi-se.  Kostrils  nearly  in  the  middle  of* 
the  bill,  large  and  elevated.  The  tail  consisting  of  14  feathers.  — 
The  prevailing  color  in  these  birds  is  black ;  the  female  brown. 
This  tribe  of  Ducks  live  principally  at  sea,  and  frequent  the  edge  of 
the  surf. 


BLACK,  OR  SURF  DUCK. 


W 


(Fuligvla  perspicillata,  Borap.  Synops.  No.  333.  Anasperapieillata, 
Linn.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  847.  sp.  42.  Wilson,  viii.  p.  49.  pi.  67. 
fig.  1.  [male,]  Tkhh.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  853.  Oidemia  perapu 
eillata,  Richard,  and  Swains-  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  449.  Black 
Duck,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  483.  Great  Black  iJuck,  from 
Hudson's  Buy,  Edwards,  pi.  155.  Macreuse  hlarge  bee,  ou  Mar- 
ehand,  Buff.  Ois.  iz.  p.  244.  PI.  Enlum.  995.  Phil.  Museum, 
No.  2788.)  ,■   .     ,  . 

Sp.  Charact.  —  No  speculum ;  the  feet  red ;  the  bill  with  a  protu- 
berance on  each  side. — Male  g\o88y  black  ;  the  crown  and  nape 
marked  with  white.  Female  sooty-brown,  near  the  bill  and  auric- 
ulars,  whitish. 

This  species  of  Sea  Duck,  with  other  dark  kinds  here 
commonly  called  Coots,  may  be  properly  considered  as 
an  American  species ;  its  visits  in  the  Orkneys  and  Euro- 
pean seas  being  merely  accidental.  They  breed  on  the 
Arctic  coasts,  and  extend  their  residen  :e  to  the  opposite 
side  of  the  continent,  having  been  seen  at  Nootka  Sound 
by  Captain  Cook.  During  summer  they  feed  principally  in 
the  sea ;  they  also  commonly  frequent  shallow  bars  and  surf- 
lashed  shores  and  bays  in  quest  of  various  kinds  of  small 


BLACK,    OR    8URF   DUCK. 


417 


■hell-fish,  for  which  while  on  our  coast  they  are  almost 
perpetually  diving.  They  begin  to  migrate  southward  from 
their  northern  resorts  in  company  with  the  Long-Tailed 
Ducks  (Fuligula  glacialis,)  at  which  period  the  flocks  halt 
both  on  the  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay,  and  on  the  lakes  of 
the  interior,  as  long  as  they  remain  open,  feeding  on  tender 
shelly  mollusca. 

The  Surf  Duck  or  Sea  Coot  breeds  also  along  the  shores 
of  Hudson's  Bay  and  in  Labrador,*  and  is  said  to  make  a 
nest  of  grass,  lining  it  with  down  or  feathers,  and  lays  from 
4  to  6  white  eggs,  which  are  hatched  in  the  month  of  July. 
They  select  the  borders  of  fresh-water  ponds  for  their  eyries, 
on  which  the  young  are  fed  and  protected,  until  they  are 
nearly  ready  to  fly.f  Although  they  extend  their  migrations 
to  the  coast  of  Florida,  they  often  continue  along  all  the 
shores  and  open  bays  of  the  Union  throughout  the  winter ; 
or,  at  least  parties  go  and  come  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  period.  Early  in  May,  or  the  close  of  April,  they  are 
again  seen  bending  their  course  towards  the  north.  They 
are  shy  birds  .o  approach,  but  can  be  decoyed  by  imitative 
wooden  ducks  of  the  same  general  appearance.  Their 
flesh,  however,  remarkably  red  and  dark  when  cooked,  is 
very  fishy,  and  has  but  little  to  recommend  it ;  the  young 
birds  are  somewhat  superior  in  flavor,  but  the  whole  are  of 
little  consequence  as  game,  though  often  eaten  by  the 
inhabitants  of  the  neighboring  coasts.  « 

Length  about  2  feet;  the  wing  0^  inches  ;  the  bill  above,  1  inch 
4^  lines;  the  tarsus  1  inch  3  lines.  Male;  velvet-black,  with  a  red- 
dish reflection.  Throat  brownish.  A  broad  white  band  between 
the  eyes,  and  a  triangular  patch  of  the  same  on  the  nape.  Bill 
reddish-orange,  the  nail  paler;  a  square  black  spot  on  the  lateral 
protuberance.  Legs  orange,  the  webs  of  the  feet  brown.  The  bill 
much  like  that  of  the  following  species  (F.  fusca,)  but  the  lateral 


"<•  AuouBox  in  lit. 


t  Audubon. 


'■r 


418 


WEB-FOOTEO    BIRDS. 


protuberances  are  naked  and  horny,  and  the  central  one  ia  feathered 
fiurther  down.  Aa  in  the  other  apeciea  of  this  section,  the  bill  and 
forehead  are  inflated,  causing  the  head  to  appear  lengtlienod  and  tlM 
orown  depressed. 

The  female  is  browner  ;  and  the  under  plumage  paler  ;  the  back 
and  wing  coverts  narrowly  edged  with  grey  ;  the  breast,  flanks  and 
ears,  with  some  whitish  edgings.  Bill  black  ;  its  base  not  so  much 
inflated,  and  the  nostrils  smaller  than  in  the  male. 


■  \^i^r'  "  ^ 


,i        1^ 


i.  >;:^■L 


t,f.':  ,  .  iA-n~    , '.: 


.  -  -.  -  ■,■■  ■  -v  -■;    '  "     . 


"A.    ■;<■    .. 


•A 


t 


1/ 


-# 


.f>'H^  ' 


VELVET  DUCK. 

(Fuligula  fusca,  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  335.  Anas  fuaca,  LiNif. 
Gmel.  Lath,  Ind.  sp  44.  Temm.  ii.  p.  854.  Wilson,  viii.  p. 
187.  pi.  02.  fig.  3.  [male.]  Oidemia  fusca,  Fleming.  Richard. 
North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  449.  Velvet  Duck,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  No. 
482.  La  double  Macreuse,  Buff.  Ois.  ix.  p.  242.  Id.  PI.  Enlum. 
758.  [old  male.]  Phil.  Museum,  No.  2658.) 

Sp.  Cuaract.  —  Speculum  white ;  feet  red.  —  Male  black  ;  a  white 
crescent  under  the  eye.     Female  blackish-brown. 

The  Velvet  Duck  is  common  to  the  northern  regioi^s  of 
both  continents,  where  it  retires  late  in  the  spring  to  p^8 
the  period  of  reproduction.  Like  the  preceding,  they  live 
principally  upon  the  sea  and  its  productions,  diving  often 
in  broken  water  for  shell-fish  and  other  marine  bodies. 
They  breed  along  the  Arctic  coasts  and  around  Hudson's 


420 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


Bay  and  Labrador,*  retiring  inland  for  the  purpose ;  nesting 
contiguous  to  small  fresh-water  pools  in  the  shelter  of 
Juniper  or  Pine  bushes,  laying  from  8  to  10  white  eggs, 
which  the  female  closely  covers  with  her  elastic  feather. 
The  young  are  attended  by  the  female  only,  who  remains 
with  her  brood  in  these  seclusions  until  they  are  nearly 
ready  to  fly.  She  also  makes  a  show  of  defending  them, 
and  the  young  themselves  often  by  their  great  alertness  in 
diving  escape  the  attacks  of  their  enemies.  They  are 
abundant  in  the  Orkneys  and  Hebrides,  as  well  as  in  Norway, 
Sweden,  and  Lapland  ,*  and  are  common  in  some  parts  of 
Siberia  and  Kamtschatka.  Near  Kengis,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Tornea  in  Lapland,  a  little  beyond  the  67th  parallel, 
Skioldebrand  remarked  them  nesting  in  trees,  particu- 
larly Pines,  accompanied  by  the  Golden  Eye  (Fuligula 
clangula.)  The  inhabitants,  he  also  adds,  knowing  the 
trouble  they  have  in  forming  their  nests,  attach  hollowed 
pieces  of  wood  to  the  trees  for  their  convenience  ;  and  in 
recompense  receive  a  quantity  of  their  eggs,  which  supply 
the  place  of  those  of  the  common  fowl,  no  longer  found  to 
endure  the  severity  of  these  hyperboreal  climates.l 

On  the  commencement  of  incubation,  the  males  leave  the 
land  and  again  assemble  together  in  flocks  out  at  sea.  In 
the  moulting  season^  which  soon  af%er  takes  place  among 
these  seceding  birds,  the  natives  at  Ochotska  to  the  number 
of  fifly  or  more,  as  already  related  of  the  Indians  of  the 
Bay  of  Fundy,  taking  advantage  of  the  flood  tide,  drive 
the  whole  flock,  before  them  up  the  river,  in  canoes,  and 
as  soon  as  the  water  ebbs,  they  dispatch  them  with  clubs  in 
such  numbers  that  each  individual  oflen  comes  in  for  20  or 
30  to  his  share. 


*  AcDUBox,  in  lit. 

t  Sliioldebrand's,  Picturesque  Voynge  au  Cnp  Nord. 


r^m- 


VELVET   DUCK. 


421 


The  Velvet  Duck  is  said  to  return  latie  to  its  breeding 
quarters  in  Sweden,  the  eggs  being  sometimes  found  fresh 
as  late  as  the  beginning  of  July.   In  April  they  are  seen,  in 
cloudy  weather  more  particularly,  proceeding  steadily  on 
wing  in    large  flocks  towards  their  northern  destination. 
At  these  times  they  fly  low  in  an  irregular  angular  phalanx, 
making  a  straight  course  just  outside  of  the  land,  and  are 
perfectly  silent  and  intent  on  their  voyage.     In  the  spring 
of  1831,  I  saw  them  thus  migrating  by  thousands,  though 
not  more  than  12  to  20  associate  in  any  one  flock.      They 
proceed  in  all  jHrobability  to  the  very  extremity  of  the  Union, 
in  the  course  of  the   winter,  are  very  abundant  in  the 
Bay    of  Chesapeake,  being  usually    accompanied  by   the 
Scoters,  and  are   taken   sometimes  in  the  same  nets  with 
them.     With  the  other  dark  species  of  this  subgenus  they 
are  here  known  by  the  appellation  of  Coots,  and  these  are 
distinguished  by   the   name  of  the  White-Winged    kind. 
Whether  from  their  nocturnal  habits  or  what  other  cause,  I 
cannot  pretend  to  say,  when  they  have  been  seen  in  Fresh 
Pond,  which  they  sometimes  visit,  at  least  the  young,  their 
heads  have  been  observed  nodding,  as  though  they  were  op- 
pressed by  sleep ;  and  we  sometimes  here  have  a  saying  of 
being  as  sleepy  as  a  Coot.   The  flesh  of  the  old  bird  is  strong, 
dark,  and  sedgy,  yet  they  are  much  sought  afler  in  this 
quarter,  and  often  exposed  for  sale  in  the  market,  particu- 
larly the  young  birds  whose  flavor  is  more  tolerable.     They 
arrive  in  this  vicinity  from  the  north  about  the  close  of 
September,  and  according  to  Richardson,  spend  some  time 
on  the  coasts  of  Hudson's  Bay  and  the  lakes  of  the  interior 
previous  to  their  departure  for  the  south. 

The  Velvet  Duck  is  about  2  feet  IJ  inches  in  length;  the  wing 

10  inches  9  lines ;  the  bill  above,  1  inch  7  lines ;  the  tarsus  1  inch 

lOi  lines :  alar  stretch  3  feet.    The  male  is  of  a  deep  and  velvety 

black.    Beneath  the  eyes  and  at  the  posterior  angle  tliere  is  a  white 

36 


422 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


\ 


or  escent.  A  white  speculum  on  the  wing.  Sides  of  the  bill  red> 
lead  fading  into  orange,  protuberance  between  the  nostrils,  the  nuur- 
gins  and  posterior  part  of  the  under  mandible,  black ;  nail  ver- 
milion, the  anterior  flat  portion  of  the  upper  mandible  whitish. 
Irids  white,  tinged  with  straw-yellow.  Legs  scarlet  with  black  webs, 
and  a  tinge  of  black  on  the  joints.  Nostrils  large,  oval,  and  pervious, 
opening  into  a  protuberance  which  forms  part  of  the  forehead. 
Toes  long,  the  outer  equal  to  the  middle  one. 

The  female  resembles  the  male,  but  is  smaller,  and  the  plumage 
browner.  Scapulars  very  narrowly  edged  with  broccoli-brown.  No 
white  mark  beneath  the  eye,  but  the  speculum  like  that  of  the  male. 
Bill  black,  slightly  inflated  at  the  base,  the  nail  black.  —  The  young 
males  resemble  the  female,  but  have  email  white  spots  before  and 
behind  the  eyes.  ,  ,, 


/ 


AMERICAN  SCOTER  DUCK. 

(Fuligvla  americana.  Oidemia  americana,  Swains.  Richard,  and 
SwAiN3.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  450.  Whistling  Duck,  Hudson's 
Bay  Residents.     Ctuctisitatum,,  Cree  Indians.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Entirely  sooty  black ;  bill  contracted  behind  the  tip, 
^  black,  except  the  basal  protuberance  of  the  upper  mandible,  which 
/     is  entirely  orange ;  nostrils  about  the  middle  of  the  bill,  red. 

This  species,  probably  confounded  with  the  Common 
Scoter,  is  said  to  inhabit  the  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay, 
breeding  between  the  50th  and  60th  parallels,  but  does  not 
appear  to  frequent  the  interior.  It  lives  and  feeds  princi- 
pally at  sea,  and  its  flesh  is  rank  and  oily.  The  American 
Scoter  visits  the  coast  and  bays  of  Massachusetts  and  New 
York  in  considerable  numbers,  associating  with  the  Surf, 
Velvet,  Eider  and  other  sea  ducks ;  and  are  brought  oc- 
casionally to  Boston  market,  about  the  first  week  in 
November.  While  here  they  appear  to  feed  principally  on 
shell-fish ;  particularly  muscles ;  and  the  flesh  of  the  young 
is  tolerably  palatable.  ^       ,    ,.„ 


e..«  SCOTER   SUCK. 


423 


The  American  Scoter  is  about  19  inches  in  length ;  bill  from  the 
rictus  2  inches ;  the  wing  8j|  inches ;  tarsus  about  1  inch  2  lines  ; 
the  middle  toe  3  inches.  Male  in  color  and  size  closely  resembling 
F.  nigra,  except  in  the  bill,  in  which  the  sides  of  the  nail  at  the  end 
of  the  upper  mandible  are  suddenly  narrowed.  The  whole  of  the 
basal  protuberance  orange,  this  color  not  extending  beyond  the 
nostrils.  In  a  youngish  male^  which  I  have  examined,  the  basal 
protuberance  is  scarcely  elevated,  orange,  at  the  base  bright  yellow. 
The  Ist  quill  very  much  and  suddenly  narrowed  for  near  upon  2 
inches,  and  the  2d  and  3d  nearly  equal  and  longest.  Legs  and  feet 
wholly  black. 


;/<*-  ■. 


li,i\S. 


^SiS'n-rf^^  '"tf^l'i^-n^ 


fyf^ 


fV- 


-ii:.'-i4 


SCOTER  DUCK. 


'Ftdi^anigraf  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  334.  Anas  nigra,  Liitn.  Ghkl. 
7.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  sp.  43.  Temh.  ii.  p.  856.  Wilson,  viii.  p. 
^  5.  pi.  72.  fig.  2.  La  Maereuse,  Buff.  Ois.  ix.  p.  234. 1. 16.  PI. 
^juinm.  978.  Scoter,  Penh.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  484.  Is.  Brit.  Zool. 
r>.  153.  tab.  Q.  6.  [a  good  figure  of  the  male].  Phil.  Museum,  No. 
8658.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  No  speculum;  feet  dusky;  a  protuberance  at  the 
base  of  the  bill ;  middle  of  the  upper  mandible  yellow ;  nostrils 
below  the  middle  of  the  bill.  —  Male  glossy  black  ;  a  large  orange- 
red  protuberance  at  the  base  of  the  bill.  Female  sooty-brown, 
beneath  greyish-white 

The  Scoter,  or  Black  Duck  is  another  of  those  marine 
sf/ocies  which  inhabit  the  high  boreal  latitudes  of  both  con- 
tinents, from  whence  at  the  approach  of  winter  they  migrate 
in  swarms  to  warmer  or  more  moderate  climes.  Along  the 
coast  of  the  United  States,  over  which  they  extend  to  the 
extremity  of  the  Union,  they  are  commonly  associated  with 
their  kindred  species,  the  Velvet  Duck.  In  winter  they  are 
common  in  the  sounds  and  bays  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York 
as  well  as  in  the  Bay  of  Chesapeake,  and  are  perpetually 


424 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


diving  in  quest  of  small  shell-fish,  sea  insects,  mollusca  and 
marine  vegetables. 

The  Scoters,  whose  origin,  like  that  of  the  Barnacles, 
was  sup[>osed  to  be  derived  from  certain  shells  in  rotten 
wood  originating  in  Scotland,  have  hence  derived  their  pe- 
culiar name ;  but  besides  the  Scottish  Islands,  they  are 
found  in  Lapland,  Norway,  Russia  and  Siberia,  as  well  as  in 
the  present  continent.  They  usually  fly  low,  almost  touch- 
ing the  surface  of  the  sea,  but  they  swim  and  dive  with 
peculiar  ease  and  swiflness. 

According  to  M.  Baillon,  from  the  months  of  November 
to  March,  the  north  and  north-west  winds  bring  along  the 
coasts  of  Picardy  prodigious  flocks  of  Scoters,  so  that  the 
whole  sea  for  a  considerable  space  appears  covered  with 
them.  They  are  then  seen  flying  incessantly  from  place  to 
place  by  thousands ;  they  appear  and  disappear  in  the  water 
every  minute,  and  as  soon  as  one  of  them  dives,  the  whole 
eager  troop  imitate  the  motion,  and  soon  after  emerge  to  the 
surface.  When  the  southwardly  winds,  however,  begin  to 
blow  in  the  month  of  March,  they  all  disappear  at  once 
from  the  coast. 

The  fishermen,  taking  advantage  of  their  habit  of  diving 
for  food,  catch  the  Scoters  in  great  numbers  in  their  nets, 
which  are  spread  out  over  the  beds  of  shell-flsh  they  are 
observed  to  frequent.  The  nets  are  thus  supported  horizon- 
tally at  the  height  of  two  or  three  feet  from  the  bottom ;  and 
at  the  flowing  of  the  tide  remain  concealed.  The  Scoters, 
approaching  as  usual  at  the  reflux  of  the  water  in  great 
numbers,  dive  afler  their  prey,  and  are  soon  entangled 
in  the  snare  ;  in  such  numbers  that  20  or  30  dozen  have 
sometimes  been  taken  in  a  single  tide.  These  fishy  fla- 
vored birds,  and  a  few  others  of  similar  character,  being 
exempt  from  the  ecclesiastical  interdict,  on  the  sage  suppo- 
sition that  they  rank  among  cold-blooded  animals,  are  sold 


GYMNURA. 


425 


to  the  catholics,  who  are  allowed  to  eat  them  on  their  fast 
days,  in  common  with  fish  and  white  meats. 

The  Scoter  is  about  91  inches  in  length ;  and  34  in  alar  extent. 
Protuberance  on  the  base  of  the  bill  orange-red,  the  sides  and  a  line 
in  its  middle  black,  the  orange  extending  over  the  upper  mandible 
considerably  towards  the  tip;  the  edges  and  lower  mandible  are 
black.  The  orbits  yellow.  Irids  dark  hazel.  The  wholq  plumage 
black,  inclining  to  purple  on  the  head  and  neck.  Legs  and  feet 
reddish-brown.    The  female  has  scarcely  any  protuberance  on  the 

bai. 


» ( 


Subgenus.  —  *  Gymnura. 


(OxYURAt.  Bonap.) 


The  bill  broad  at  its  extremity,  and  with  the  nail  very  small  and 
hooked.  JVostrils  medial,  proximate.  Tarsus  much  shorter  than  the 
elongated  toes  ;  the  legs  situated  very  far  behind.  Wings  very  short 
and  concave.  Tail  long  and  cuneiform,  consisting  of  20  narrow, 
pointed,  rigid,  and  more  or  less  concave  feathers :  the  tail  coverts 
wholly  wanting,  or  undistinguishable  from  the  adjoining  plumage. 
Vent  at  the  extremity  of  the  body. 

The  plumage  sombre,  very  thick,  compact,  beneath  silvery  with 
bristly  tips.  —  This  small  and  remarkable  species  bred  in  the  north, 
chiefly  inhabits  fresh-water  lakes  in  which  it  swims  and  dives 
remarkably  well,  but  is  averse  to  taking  wing,  yet  migrates  extensive- 
ly towards  the  south  in  the  course  of  the  winter.  It  is  nearly  allied 
to  ^nas  leucoceplmla,  which  inhabits  the  saline  lakes  and  interior 
seas  of  Siberia,  Russia  and  Eastern  Europe.  It  appears  likewise  to 
have  a  near  affinity  with  A.  jamaicensis  of  Latham  ;  and  is  perhaps 
identic  with  A.  spinosa  of  Guiana,  if  not  also  with  A.  Dominica 
of  Gmelin,  a  native  of  St.  Domingo,  and  probably  only  resident 
there  during  winter.  '■'  ■•a 


t  The  name  of  Oxyura  having  been  previously  employed  for  a  subgenus  of 
Creepers,  it  was  necessary  to  alter  it. 


36* 


436  WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


RUDDY  DUCK. 

(Fuligula  rubida,  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  336.  Richard,  and  Swains. 
North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  455.  ^nas  rubida,  Wilson,  viii.  p.  128.  pi. 
71.  fig.  5.  [male.]  p.  ISO.  pi.  71,  fig.  6.  [young  male.]  (female 
WUa.)    Phil.  Museum,  No.  2808.  and  2809.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  No  speculum;  bill  flat  at  the  base;  nostrils  small 
and  linear  ;  tail  feathers  somewhat  concave,  with  sphacelous  tips. 
Iris  brown.  —  Male  reddiqh-brown ;  the  crown,  front  and  nape 
black  ;  sides  of  the  head  and  chin  white.     Female  blackish-brown, 

,.  minutely  sprinkled  with  whitish ;  the  crown  darker ;  sides  of  the 
head  dusky  and  whitish. 

This  species,  an  exclusive  inhabitant  of  America,  retires 
to  the  north  to  breed,  frequenting  the  small  lakes  in  the 
interior  of  the  fur  countries  up  to  the  58th  parallel.  On  the 
5th  of  August,  they  were  also  observed  by  Mr.  Say,  at 
Pembino  in  the  latitude  of  49°,  where  no  doubt,  they  also 
pass  the  period  of  reproduction.  They  are  very  unwilling 
to  take  wing,  though  they  fly  pretty  well  when  once  started. 
They  divo  with  the  greatest  facility  and  particularly  at  the 
flash  of  tlie  gun,  or  even  the  report  of  the  percussion  cap. 
When  swimming  they  have  a  habit  of  carrying  the  tail  so 
erect  that  it  appears  of  the  same  height  with  the  head  and 
neck.  Small  flocks  consisting  of  the  female  and  young  are 
often  seen  in  Fresh-Pond  in  this  vicinity,  but  scarcely  ever 
the  adult  males,  who  seem  to  migrate  usually  apart  at  this 
season.  Tliey  visit  us  early  in  October,  and  in  the  course  of 
the  winter  proceed  south  to  the  extremity  of  the  Union. 
On  their  first  arrival  they  are  tame  and  insuspicious  :  but 
the  old  males  are  extremely  shy  and  difiicult  of  approach; 
Their  food  appears  to  be  principally  marine  and  fluviatiie 
vegetables,  and  seeds,  for  which  they  dive.  Besides  gravel, 
I  have  found  in  the  stomach  seeds  and  husks  of  the  Rup- 
pia  mar  id. 'JUL     They  rarely,  if  ever,  visit  the  sea,  but  are 


r . 


MJlTiailBa  m  imii<*ll^ii''iriu'l^<  *' 


RUDDY   DUCK. 


427 


the 

at 

ilso 

ing 

ed. 

the 

ap. 

so 

nd 

ire 

er 

lis 

of 

n. 

ut  / 
K 
ie 

I, 


i 


.^' 


> 


found  towards  the  head  of  tide  waters,  in  estuaries  and 
small  lacustrine  ponds,  at  no  great  distance  from  the  ocean. 
They  are  common  in  the  market  of  Boston,  generally 
known  by  the  name  of  Dun-Birds,  and  their  flesh  is  good 
and  much  esteemed  as  game.  /  , 

The  length  of  this  species  appears  to  vary  in  an  extraordinary 
degree.  Wilson  giver  H  15i|  inches;  I  hav>-  found  it  about  17,  and 
Richardson's  -     le  tnt  gives  19  inches  !  t'     '     -^u.:  1  inch  4  lines ; 

middle  toe  2  iu^.ies  &.  :  lines.  In  the  malt  ,ae  upper  surface  of 
the  head  and  nape  is  velvet-black.  The  middle  of  the  back  and  tail 
brownish-black.  Throat,  neck,  fore  part  of  the  back,  rump,  scapu- 
lars, and  flanks,  pure  brownish-orange.  The  sides  of  the  head  and 
chin  white.  Wings  unspotted  hair-brown,  the  secondaries  tipped 
with  white.  Base  of  the  under  plumage  clove-brown,  its  tips  silvery 
white.  Bill  shining  light  blue.  Irids  brown.  Legs  brown.  Nob* 
trils  near  together,  situated  in  the  anterior  part  of  a  large  oval  mem- 
brane. Tail  wedge-formed  or  fan-shaped,  of  30  narrow  and  strikingly 
unequal  feathers  in  length,  the  shortest  being  only  about  an  inch, 
while  the  longest  are  3  inches,  or  upwards,  their  points  in  the  adult 
birds,  present  a  sphacelous  continuation  of  the  shafts  beyond  the  barbs, 
which  terminate  bluntly,  and  are  concave  beneath :  the  hollow  or 
|ruttered  appearance  of  the  feathers  themselves  above  is  nearly  equal 
throughout,  and  only  very  conspicuous  in  the  young  birds,  or  im- 
mediately afler  the  moult ;  in  these  likewise  the  sphacelous  tips  of 
the  tail  are  yet  undeveloped.  In  an  old  female,  which  I  possess, 
the  sphacelous  tips  of  the  tail  are  prolonged  into  a  set  of  ad- 
ditional proliferous  feathers  with  bristly  and  nearly  simple  distant 
setaceous  barbs.  Whether  this  character  be  constant  at  a  certain 
age  or  not  I  am  unable  to  determine.  —  The  young  male  resembles 
the  female,  but  differs  in  having  the  sides  of  the  face  pure  white  to 
beyond  and  beneath  the  ears.  A  few  rufous  feathers  are  also  some- 
times already  visible  among  the  plumage  on  the  lower  part  of  the 
back.  The  smaller  tail  feathers,  being  probably  subject  to  moult, 
accounts  for  the  apparent  diversity  of  their  number.  Wilson  and 
Bonaparte  giving  18,  and  Richardson  only  16,  while  the  actual 
number  is  20.  ^  .  ., ... 


438 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


\ 


Subgenus.  —  Fulioula.  Bonap. 

With  the  bill  long,  broad,  flat,  scarcely  gibbous  at  base,  and  some- 
what dilated  at  the  extremity.  Nostrils  suboval,  at  the  base  of  the 
bill.  The  tail  short  consisting  of  14  feathers,  the  lateral  ones  grad- 
uated.   The  first  quill  feather  longest. 

The  trachea  dilating  to  the  left  into  a  somewhat  membranous 
capsule,  sustained  by  an  osseous  ramified  framework.  —  These  are 
also  chiefly  inhabitants  of  the  sea  or  saline  bays  and  estuaries. 


PIED  DUCK. 

(Fuligula  labradora,  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  337.  ^nas  labradora, 
Wilson,  viii.  p.  91.  pi.  69.  fig.  6.  [male.]  Pied  Duck,  Penn. 
Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  282.  No.  488.  Lath.  Synops.  iii.  p.  497.  Phil. 
Museum,  No.  2858.) 

Sp.  Gharact.  —  A  broad  white  speculum ;  the  bill  membranous  at 
the  extremity ;  the  cere-like  base  and  posterior  edges  orange 
colored.  —  Male  black  ;  head,  neck,  breast,  scapulars,  wing-cov- 
erts and  secondaries,  white  ;  crown,  and  a  collar  round  the  neck, 
black.     Female  ashy-grey. 

The  Pied  Duck,  though  an  inhabitant  of  the  northern 
parts  of  America,  is  not  found  in  the  fur  countries  of  Hud- 
son's Bay.  It  is  probably  a  mere  straggler  on  the  coasts  of 
the  whole  Atlantic,  and  chiefly  inhabits  the  western  side  of 
the  continent.  It  was  not  observed  by  Mr.  Audubon  in  his 
late  summer  tour  to  Labrador  where  it  has  been  said  to 
breed.  The  gunners  of  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania  call 
it  the  Sand-Shoal  Duck,  from  its  habit  of  frequenting  sand- 
bars in  quest  of  minute  shell-fish  which  constitute  its  prin- 
cipal food,  and  which  it  procures  by  diving  like  the  other 
Sea  Ducks.  Its  visits  occur  in  the  Middle  States  in  winter, 
and  early  in  the  month  of  March,  in  spring.  Its  flesh  is 
dry  and  unsavory. 


\\ 


■■^■•....  .  ■  ■,^.w*tiE.,'.v,.i--^..^-i,.:-^.iit<.(^aii42i»/a.ii.iit'.-:.,-*iii4  i 

jjjjMiailliiaiMIWtaiatWIiMMMM^^  mn  '.iiiwwMiHi 


PIED    DUCK. 


429 


The  length  of  the  Labrador  Duck  is  about  20  inches.  In  the  male 
the  base  of  the  bill,  and  the  edges  of  the  mandibles  for  two  tliirdH  of 
their  length,  are  pale  orange  ;  the  rest  black  ;  towards  the  extremity 
it  widens,  and  the  sides  consist  merely  of  a  soil,  loose  and  pen* 
dulous  skin.  Irids  dark  hazel.  Head  and  half  of  the  neck,  white, 
marked  along  the  crown  as  far  as  the  nape  with  a  stripe  of  black ; 
the  plumage  of  tlie  cheeks  bristly.  A  black  y^Aoj  round  the  neck, 
the  same  color  continuing  over  the  back,  rump,  and  tail  coverts ; 
below  this  color  the  upper  part  of  the  breast  is  white,  extending 
itself  over  the  whole  scapulars,  wing  coverts,  and  secondaries.  The 
primaries,  lower  part  of  the  breast,  belly,  arid  vent,  black.  The  tail 
pointed,  and  of  a  blackish  hoary  color.  Anterior  part  of  the  legs, 
and  ridges  of  the  toes,  pale  whitish-ash,  hind  part  of  the  sami , 
sprinkled  with  blackish ;  the  webs  block  :  the  edges  of  both  mandibles 
pectinated.  In  young  birds,  the  white  plumage  is  usually  tinged 
with  yellowish. 

The  female  is  about  19  inches  in  length.  The  bill  as  in  the  male. 
The  sides  of  the  front  white;  head,  chin,  and  neck,  ashy -grey; 
upper  part  of  the  back  and  wings  brownish-slate.  Secondaries  only 
white  ;  tertials  hoary.  Below  dull  ash,  skirted  with  brownish-white. 
Legs  and  feet  as  in  the  male.  The  bill  in  both  is  njiarked  posterior 
to  the  nostrils  with  a  heart-shaped  outline. 


.:■;  ^' 


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4^2-^^    '    ■-S*'  '.  "I'-'f  J     #•'     ;W     ■fl'i--"'^^''-      J.f'i*?;'  •-''■>;'■  ;,ISt- 


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':*■■ 


CANVASS-BACKED  DUCK. 


(Fuligula  ralisneria,  Stephens.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  388.  Rich. 
and  Swain,  ii.  p.  451.  ^nas  valisneria,  Wilson,  viii.  p.  103.  pi. 
70.  fig.  5.  Genus  Fuligula,  Ray.     Phil.  Museum.  No.  2816.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Speculum  grey ;  bill  straight,  nearly  S^  inches 
long,  its  sides  parallel.  —  Male  white,  waved  with  black;  the  head 
tinged  with  black  anteriorly,  and  with  the  neck  glossy  chestnut : 
a  black  pectoral  belt.  Female  dull  whitish,  waved  with  black ; 
bead,  neck  and  breast  brownish. 

The  Canvass-Back,  so  well  known  as  a  delicacy  of  the 
table,  is  a  species  peculiar  to  the  continent  of  America.  It 
breeds,  according  to  Richardson,  in  all  parts  of  the  remote 
fur  countries  from  the  50th  parallel  to  their  most  northern 
limits,  and  at  this  period  associates  much  on  the  water  with 
the  ordinary  tribe  of  Duoks.  After  the  close  of  the  period 
of  reproduction,  accumulating  in  flocks,  and  driven  to  the 
open  waters  of  the  south  for  their  favorite  means  of  sub" 


1  ^-.l..".*".^'**'*^'** 


CANVA8S-BACKED    DUCK. 


431 


■istence,  they  arrive  about  the  middle  of  October  seawards 
on  the  coast  of  the  United  Stateo.  A  few  at  this  time  visit 
the  Hudson  and  the  Delaware,  but  the  great  body  of  emi- 
grants take  up  their  quarters  in  the  Bay  of  Chesapeake,  and 
in  the  numerous  estuaries  and  principal  rivers  which  empty 
into  it ;  particularly  the  Susquehannah,  the  Patapsco,  Poto- 
mac and  James'  rivers.  They  also  frequent  the  sounds 
and  bays  of  North  Carolina,  and  are  abundant  in  the 
river  Neuse,  in  the  vicinity  of  Newbern,  and  probably 
in  most  of  the  other  southern  waters  to  the  coast  of  the 
Oulf  of  Mexico,  being  seen  in  winter  in  the  mild  cli- 
mate of  New  Orleans.*  In  these  different  sections  of  the 
Union  they  are  known  by  the  various  names  of  Canvass- 
Backs,  White-Backs,  and  Sheldrakes.  In  the  depth  of 
winter,  a  few  pairs,  probably  driven  from  the  interior  by 
cold,  arrive  in  Massachusetts  Bay,  in  tho  vicinity  of  Cohas- 
set  and  near  Martha's  Vineyard  :  these,  as  in  the  waters  of 
New  York,  are  commonly  associated  with  the  Red-Head,  or 
Pochard,  to  which  they  have  ~so  near  an  affinity.  Their 
principal  food,  instead  of  the  fresh-water  plant  ValisneriOf 
which  is  confined  to  so  small  a  space,  is,  in  fact,  the  differ- 
ent kinds  of  Sea-Wrack,  known  here  by  the  name  of  Eel- 
grass,  from  its  prodigious  length,  {Zostera  marina,  and  Rup- 
pia  maritima.)  These  vegetables  are  found  in  nearly 
every  part  of  the  Atlantic,  growing  like  submerged  fields 
over  all  the  muddy  flats,  shallow  bays,  estuaries,  and  inlets, 
subject  to  the  access  of  salt  or  brackish  waters.  They  are 
the  marine  pastures  in  which  most  of  the  Sea  Ducks,  no 
less  than  the  present,  find  at  all  times,  except  in  severe 
frosts,  an  ample  supply  of  food. 

The  Canvass  Backs  on  their  first  arrival  are  generally 
lean,  but  by  the  beginning  of  November,  they  become  in 


*  Mr.  Ware,  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  C.  Pickering,  M.  D. 


433 


WEB-FOOTKD    DIKD8. 


X 


H 


good  order  for  the  table.  They  arc  excellent  divers,  and 
swim  with  speed  and  agility.  They  sometimes  assemble  by 
thousands  in  a  flock,  and  rising  suddenly  on  wing  produce 
a  noise  like  thunder.  During  the  day,  they  are  com- 
monly dispersed  about  in  quest  of  food,  but  towards  even- 
ing collect  together,  and  coming  into  the  creeks  and  river 
inlets,  ride  as  it  were  at  anchor,  with  their  heads  under 
their  wings  asleep;  sentinels,  however,  appear  awake  and 
ready  to  raise  an  alarm  on  the  least  appearance  of  danger. 
At  other  times  they  are  seen  swimming  about  the  shoals, 
and  diving  atler  the  sea-wrack,  which  they  commonly  pluck 
up,  and  select  only  the  tenderest  portion  towards  the  root. 
Though  thus  laboriously  engaged,  they  are  still  extremely 
shy,  and  can  rarely  be  approached  but  by  stratagem,  for 
even  while  feeding,  several  remain  unemployed  and  vigilant 
against  any  surprise.  When  wounded  in  the  wing  they 
dive  to  prodigious  distances,  and  with  such  rapidity,  and 
perseverance  as  almost  to  render  the  pursuit  hopeless.  The 
great  demand  and  high  estimation  in  which  these  Ducks 
are  held,  spurs  the  ingenuity  of  the  gunner  to  practise 
every  expedient  which  may  promise  success  in  their  capture. 
They  are  sometimes  decoyed  to  shore  or  within  gun-shot  by 
means  of  a  dog  trained  for  the  purpose,  which,  playing 
backwards  and  forwards  along  the  shore,  attracts  the  vacant 
curiosity  of  the  birds,  and  as  they  approach  within  a  suita- 
ble distance  the  concealed  fowler  rakes  them  first  on  the 
water,  and  afterwards  as  they  rise.  Sometimes  by  moon- 
light the  sportsman  directs  his  skiff  towards  a  flock,  whose 
position  he  had  previously  ascertained,  and  keeping  within 
the  projecting  shadow  of  some  wood,  bank,  or  headland, 
he  paddles  silently  along  to  within  15  or  20  yards  of  a  flock 
of  many  thousands,  among  whom  he  consequently  makes 
great  destruction. 

As  the  severity  of  the  winter  augments,  and  the  rivers 


/}- 


CANVASI-BACKIO    DUCK. 


438 


rivers 


become  extensively  frozen,  the  Canvass-Backs  retreat  to- 
wards the  ocean,  and  are  then  seen  in  the  shallow  bays 
which  still  remain  open ;  occasionally  also  frequenting  the  air 
holes  in  the  ice,  and  openings  which  are  sometimes  made  for 
the  purpose,  immediately  over  the  beds  of  sea  grass,  to  entice 
them  within  gun-shot  of  the  hut  or  bush  fixed  at  a  conve- 
nient distance  for  commanding  the  hungry  flocks.  So  urgent 
sometimes  are  the  Ducks  for  food  in  winter,  that  at  one  of 
these  artificial  openings  in  the  ice,  in  James'  river,  a  Mr. 
Hill,  according  to  Wilson,  accompanied  b'  a  second  perse  i, 
picked  up  from  one  of  these  decoys,  at  three  rounds  each, 
no  less  than  88  Canvass-Backs.  The  Ducks  crowdef^  to  the 
place,  so  that  the  whole  open  space  was  not  only  covered 
with  them,  but  vast  numbers,  waiting  their  turn,  stood  inac- 
tive on  the  ice  around  it. 

The  Canvass-Back  will  also  eat  seeds  and  grain  -  well  as 
marine  grass,  and  seems  enpecially  fond  of  wheat,  by  vhich 
they  may  be  decoyed  to  particular  places,  after  continuing 
the  bait  for  several  days  in  succession.  The  loss  of  a  vessel 
loaded  with  this  grain,  near  the  entrance  of  Great  Egg 
Harbor  in  New  Jersey,  attracted  vast  flocks  of  these 
ducks  to  the  spot,  so  that  not  less  than  240  were  killed  in 
one  day  by  the  neighboring  gunners,  who  assembled  to  the 
spot  in  quest  of  these  strange  birds,  which  were  after- 
wards sold  among  the  neighbors  at  the  low  rate  of  12^  cents 
a  piece,  without  the  feathers.  The.«fi  Sea-Ducks,  as  the 
gunners  then  called  them,  from  the  r^<  *  :;tion  probably  in 
which  they  arrived,  were  no  other  than  the  famous  Canvass- 
Backs,  which  commonly  sold  in  the  Philadelphia  market  at 
firom  one  dollar  to  a  dollar  and  a  half  per  pair,  and  indeed 
sometimes  much  higher  prices  are  given,  when  they  are 
scarce  and  considered  indispensable. 

The  Canvass-Back  is  about  2  feet  in  length,  and  8  feet  in  alar 
extent;  and  when  in  good  order  weighs  8  pounds.    The  bill  is  large, 
37 


■^w«<*im*>f  finin  *fc.»..rf-fcM^.. 


434 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


.:V 


#1 


rising  high  and  sloping  on  the  front,  3  inches  4  lines  measured  firom 
above ;  and  1  inch  and  f  ths  thick  at  the  base ;  the  frontal  angle 
longer,  the  nostrils  farther  from  the  front,  and  the  nail  differently 
shaped  and  smaller  than  in  the  Pochard.  In  the  nude,  the  region  of 
the  bill,  top  of  the  head,  chin,  base  of  the  neck,  and  adjoining  parts 
of  the  breast  and  back,  rump,  upper  and  under  tail  coverts,  are 
pitch-black.  Sides  of  the  head  and  the  neck,  bright  glossy  reddish- 
chestnut  with  violet  reflections  on  the  head.  Middle  of  the  back, 
scapulars,  wing-coverts,  tips  of  the  secondaries,  tertiaries,  flanks, 
posterior  part  of  the  belly,  and  thighs  greyish-white,  finely  waved 
with  hair-brown.  Primaries  and  their  coverts  hair-brown,  darker  on 
their  tips ;  secondaries  ash-grey,  tipped  with  white ;  the  two  adjoin- 
ing tertiaries  edged  with  black.  Belly  white,  faintly  undulated  on 
the  medial  line.  In  some  specimens  the  white  parts  are  glossed 
with  ferruginous.      Bill  and  Legs  blackish-brown. 

.,  In  the  female,  the  grcjnd  color  of  the  upper  plumage  and  flanks  is 
liver-brown.  Sides  of  the  head,  neck,  and  breast  ferruginous. 
Shoulders,  shorter  scapulars,  and  under  plumage  edged  with  the 
same,  middle  of  the  back  and  wing  coverts  clove-brown,  finely  un- 
dulated with  greyish- white.  No  waved  markings  on  the  tertiaries 
and  secondaries,  and  only  a  few  on  the  tips  of  the  scapulars.  Bill 
as  in  the  male ;  but  the  neck  more  slender. 


rmr 


POCHARD,  bit  RED-HEADED  DUCK. 

(Fvligula  ferina,  Stephens.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  339.  Rich,  and 
Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  452.  ^nas  ferina,  Lin.  Gmel.  sp 
31.  Lath.  Ind.  sp.  77.  Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  868.  Wilson, 
viii.  p.  110.  pi.  70.  fig.  6.  Pochard  Duck,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii. 
p.  284.  No.  491.  Ibid.  Brit.  Zool.  p.  156.  t.  Q.  5.  [male  and 
female.]  Le  Canard  Milonin,  Buff.  Ois.  iz.  p.  216.  PL  Enlum. 
803.  [male.]  Fvligula,  sp.  Ray.    Phil.  Museum.  No.  2710.) 

Sp.  Gharact.  —  Speculum  grey ;  bill  rather  recurved,  about  2 
inches  long,  dilated  at  the  extremity.  —  JlfoZe  ash,  thickly  waved 
with  black  lines  ;  head  and  anterior  part  of  the  neck  only,  wholly 
chestnut ;  a  broad  black  pectoral  belt.  Female  wholly  brown  of 
various  tints.  ,  .  ,.       , 


^      POCHARD. 


435 


about  2 

waved 

r,  wholly 

>rown  of 


^The  Pochard  so  nearly  related  to  the  Canvass-Back,  with 
which  it  generally  associates,  is  common  to  the  north  of 
both  continents.     It  is  abundant  in  Russia,  in  rivers  and 
lakes  in  all  latitudes,  as  well  as  in   Denmark,  the  north  of 
Germany,  and,  as   a  bird  of  passage,  is  seen  in  England, 
Holland,  France,  Italy,  and  in  the  course  of  the  winter  pro- 
ceeds as  far  south  as  Egypt.     In  the  present  continent  they 
are  found  to  breed  in  all  parts  of  the  fur  countries,  from  the 
50th  parallel  to  their  utmost  boreal  limits,  and,  dwelling  in 
fresh  waters,  are  seen  to  associate  generally  with  the  Ana- 
TiiiM,  or  proper  Ducks,  taking  to  the  sea  in  autumn  with 
their  broods,  and  appearing  within  the  limits  of  the  United 
States  towards  the  close  of  October ;  they  afterwards  spread 
themselves  over  the  bays,  rivers  and  fresh-water  lakes,  at  no 
great  distance  from  the  sea.     In  the  bay  of  Chesapeake 
and  its  tributary  streams  they  are  now  seen  in  flocks  with 
the   Canvass-Backs,  and  feed  much  on  the  same  kind  of 
submarine  grass  or  wrack-weed,  on  which  they  become  very 
fat,  and  are  in  flavor  and  size  but  little  inferior  Ka  their  com- 
panions ;  being  oflen  in  fact,  both  sold  and  eaten  for  the 
same,  without  the  aid  of  any  very  sensible  imposition.     In 
the  months  of  February  and  March  they  are  common  in 
the  fresh  waters  of  North  and  South  Carolina,  where  many 
pass  the  greater  part  of  the  winter ;  they  arc  also  seen  at 
this  season  in  the  lower  part  of  the  Mississippi,  around 
Natchez,  and  probably  accompany  the  flocks  of  the  prece- 
ding  species  near  New  Orleans.     Brisson's  Mexican  Po- 
chard, described  by  Fernandez,  is  also  in  all  probability  the 
same  bird. 

The  Pochard  dives  and  swims  with  great  agility.  They 
are  in  England  sometimes  taken  in  the  decoy  pools  in  the 
usual  manner  of  driving,  but  are  by  no  means  welcome 
visitors ;  for  by  their  continual  diving  they  disturb  the  rest 
of  the  fowls  on  the  water,  and  thus  prevent  their  being  en- 


436 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


f 


ticed  into  the  tunnel  nets ;  nor  are  they  willingly  decoyed 
with  the  other  ducks.  They  are  said  to  walk  awkwardly 
dnd  with  difficulty.  It  is  also  added  that  their  cry  more 
resembles  the  hollow  hiss  of  a  serpent,  than  the  voice  of  a 
bird.  Their  flight  is  more  rapid  than  that  of  the  Common 
Wild  Duck,  and  the  noise  of  their  wings  very  different. 
The  troop  forms  a  close  body  in  the  air,  but  they  do  not 
proceed  in  angular-  lines,  or  obey  any  particular  leader,  nor 
have  they  any  call  sufficient  for  the  purpose.  On  their  first 
arrival  they  are  restless  and  watchful,  alighting  on  the 
water,  and  then  again  wheeling  and  reconnoitering  in  the 
air  for  some  time  uncertain  in  the  choice  of  their  move- 
ments. The  only  time  when  they  can  be  approached  within 
gun-shot,  like  so  many  other  of  the  species,  is  about  dayr , 
break  from  an  ambush  or  the  shelter  of  some  concealment. 

In  the  London  markets  these  Ducks  are  sold  under  the 
name  of  Dun-Birds,  and  are  very  deservedly  esteemed  as  a 
delicate  and  well  flavored  game. 

Although  it  has  has  been  said  that  this  species  will  not 
live  in  confinement ;  Mr.  Rennie  states,  that  no  bird  appears 
sooner  reconciled  to  the  menagerie ;  and  one  in  his  pos- 
session which  had  been  badly  wounded  in  the  wing,  took 
immediately  to  feeding  on  oats,  and  after  three  years 
confinement  appeared  very  tame,  and  remained  in  good 
health. 

According  to  Temminck  they  nest  in  reed  marshes,  laying 
from  12  to  13  greenish-white  eggs.  '^■'    w^^-    f  ' 

The  Pochard  is  about  22  inches  in  length,  sometimes  less ;  the 
wing  9  inch)  ;  the  bill  above,  about  2  inches  long;  the  tarsus  1 
inch  7ft  lines.  In  the  male,  the  head  and  neck  appears  very  full  of 
feathers  and  of  a  deep  glossy  reddish-chestnut ;  the  base  of  the  neck, 
breast,  fore  part  of  the  back,  rump,  and  upper  and  under  tail  coverts, 
pitch-black.  Scapulars,  interscapulars,  flanks,  thighs,  and  vent, 
finely  undulated  with  white  and  clove-brown.  Belly  whitish,  with 
faint  lines.      Posterior  part  of  the  back  blackish-brown,  partially 


'.«'!'' 


8CAUP    DUCK. 


437 


waved  with  grey  linei.  Wings  hair-brown ;  the  secondaries  bluishf 
grey,  narrowly  tipped  with  white,  and  the  two  adjoining  tertiariei 
edged  with  black  ;  axillary  feathers  and  under  coverts  pure  white. 
Bill ;  upper  mandible  light  blue ;  its  tip,  a  narrow  belt  round  its  base, 
and  the  under  mandible,  black.    Legs  black. 

i.  The  female  is  liver-brown  above,  with  pale  edgings.  Forehead, 
base  of  the  neck,  sides  of  the  breast,  and  flanks,  chestnut,  edged 
with  yellowish-brown.  Chin,  throat,  and  fore  part  of  tbi  belly, 
l^yish-white.    Wings,  bill,  and  legs  as  in  the  male. 


■■U  -r^m-ii}  v 


•.*.-/.  ..--M-    ^  :        SCAUP  DUCK.        ■:-■'- 

(Fvligula  marila,  Stephens.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  340.  Riciiard. 
North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  453.  ^nas  marila,  Linn.  Faun.  Suec.  No.  111. 
Lath.  Lid.  sp.  54.  Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  865.  Wilson,  viii. 
p.  84.  pi.  69.  fig.  3.  Le  Milouinan,  Buff.  PI.  Enlum.  1002.  [the 
old.]  Scaup  Duck,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  498.  Ibid.  Brit. 
Zool.  p.  153.  t.  Q.    Fvligvla,  sp.  Ray,    Phil.  Museum,  No.  2668.) 

Sp.  Gharact.  —  Speculum  white :  bill  very  broad ;  no  crest.  — 
Male  glossy  black,  scapulars  waved  with  white.  Female  brown, 
near  the  bill  whitish. 

This  species,  better  known  in  America  by  the  name  of 
the  Blue  Bill,  is  another  general  inhabitant  of  the  whole 
northern  hemisphere ;  passing  the  period  of  reproduction 
in  the  remote  and  desolate  hyperboreal  regions,  from  whence 
at  the  approach  of  winter,  they  issue  over  the  temperate 
parts  of  Europe  as  far  as  France  and  Switzerland ;  and  in 
the  United  States  are  observed  to  winter  in  the  Delaware, 
and  probably  proceed  as  far  as  the  waters  of  the  Southern 
States,  having  been  seen  in  the  lower  part  of  Missouri  by 
Mr.  Say  in  the  spring,  and  are  abundant  also  in  winter  in 
the  Mississippi  around  and  below  St.  Louis.  Their  bieeding 
places,  according  to  the  intelligent  and  indefatigable  Rich- 
37* 


438 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


ardson,  are  in  the  remote  fur  countries  from  the  most 
southern  point  of  Hudson's  Bay  to  their  utmost  northern 
limits. 

The  present  species  is  said  to  derive  its  name  from  feed- 
ing on  scaup,  or  broken  shell-fish,  for  which,  and  other  ar- 
ticles of  subsistence,  such  as  marine  insects,  fry,  and 
marine  vegetables,  it  is  often  seen  diving  with  great  alert- 
ness. It  is  a  common  species  here  both  in  fresh  waters  and 
bays.  They  particularly  frequent  such  places  as  abound  in 
their  usual  fare,  and  like  most  of  their  tribe  take  advantage 
of  the  accommodation  of  moonlight.  They  leave  the  Middle 
States  in  April  or  early  in  May. 

Both  male  and  female  of  the  Scaup  make  a  similar  grunt- 
ing noise,  and  have  the  same  singular  toss  of  the  head,  with  \ 
an  opening  of  the  bill  when  sporting  on  the  water  in  the 
spring.  While  here,  they  are  heard  occasionally  to  utter  a 
guttural  quanck,  very  different  from  that  of  Conmion  Ducks. 
In  a  state  of  domestication,  during  the  summer  months, 
when  the  larvae  of  various  insects  are  to  be  found  in  the 
mud  at  the  bottom  of  the  pond  they  frequent,  they  are  ob- 
served to  be  almost  continually  diving.  They  feed,  how- 
ever, contentedly  on  barley,  and  become  so  tame  as  to  come 
to  the  edge  of  the  water  for  a  morsel  of  bread.  Mr.  Rennie 
adds,  of  all  the  aquatic  birds  we  have  had,  taken  from  their 
native  wilds,  none  have  appeared  so  familiar  as  the  Scaup. 
The  flesh  of  this  species  is  but  little  esteemed ;  though  the 
young  are  more  tender  and  palatable. 

In  Europe  the  species  is  found  as  high  as  Iceland ;  and 
in  the  summer  they  abound  in  Russia,  Sweden,  Norway  and 
Lapland.     It  is  also  common  on  the  northern   shores  of 
!  "Siberia,  and  particularly  on  the  great  river  Ob. 

The  Scaup  varies  in  size  from  16j^  to  18,  19,  or  20  inches  in 
length  !  the  bill  above,  from  1  inch  6^  lines,  to  1  inch  9^  ;  the  tarsus 
from  1  inch  4  lines,  to  1  inch  6.    In  the  male  the  head  and  upper 


.itmUm 


RING-NECKED   DUCK. 


439 


part  of  the  neck  is  black,  reflecting  deep  violet  and  green.  Lower 
part  of  the  neck,  posterior  part  of  the  back,  the  breast,  and  under 
tail  coverts  pitch-black.  Scapulars  and  interscapulars  greyish-white, 
rather  coarsely  undulated  with  black.  Wings  hair-brown,  the  pri- 
maries paler  in  the  middle  ;  the  secondaries  white,  with  brown  tips ; 
the  tertiaries  glossed  with  green  ;  and  the  lesser  coverts  and  inner 
tertiaries  finely  dotted  or  waved  with  white.  Belly  white,  mixed 
with  grey  posteriorly ;  flanks  pure  white,  the  tips  of  the  feathers 
slightly  undulated.  Long  axillaries  and  inner  wing  linings  pure 
white.     Bill  greyish-blue.     Irids  yellow.     Legs  blackish-brown. 

The  female  is  somewhat  smaller,  with  a  wide  white  band  round  the 
base  of  the  bill,  the  remainder  of  the  head  and  neck  blackish-brown. 
Lower  part  of  the  neck,  breast  and  rump  dark  brown.  Back  and 
scapulars  waved  with  black  and  white  aprozimating  zig-zag  lines  : 
the  flanks  spotted  and  waved  with  brown.  The  iris  dull  yellow. 
The  young  males  in  a  general  way  resemble  the  females. 


mp. 
the 

land 
land 
of 


in 

tsus 
kper 


RING-NECKED  DUCK. 

(Fvligvla  rtffitorques,  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  341.  Rich,  and  Swains. 
North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  454.  Tufted  Duck,  (jinas  fuligula,)  Wilson, 
viii.  p.  60.  pli  67.  fig.  5.  Jinas  rvfitorques,  Bonap.  Fhil.  Muse- 
um.  No.  2904.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Speculum  bluish-ash ;  chin  white ;  a  bluish-white 
band  across  the  bill :  no  crest.  —  Male  black,  belly  white,  the  sides 
..■^   waved  with  grey ;  a  chestnut  collar  on  the  neck.    Female  glossy- 
brownish,  face  and  belly  white. 

The  Ring-Necked  Duck,  allied  to  the  Scaup  more  nearly 
than  to  the  Tufled  Duck  of  Europe,  is  an  exclusive,  but  not 
uncommon  inhabitant  of  North  America,  being  frequently 
seen  in  our  fresh-water  lakes,  estuaries  and  rivers  at  the 
commencement  of  winter,  and  many  proceed,  no  doubt, 
with  others  as  far  as  the  Southern  States,  before  the  arrival 
of  spring.  They  also  breed  in  the  remote  fur  countries  of 
Hudson's  Bay,  where  they  were  seen  by  Dr.  Richardson  to 
the  extent  of  their  range,  and  particularly  in  the  Saskatche- 


440 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


\ 


wan  and  other  fresh  waters  of  the  interior  in  the  hyperbo^ 
rean  wilderness.  Indeed  it  commonly  associates  in  the 
summer  with  the  true  Ducks,  and  only  frequents  the  sea 
coast  at  the  period  of  its  migrations.  Their  flesh  is  tendec 
and  well  flavored. 

The  length  of  the  species  is  about  19  inches ;  the  wing  7  inches  8 
lines ;  the  bill  from  above  1  inch  10  lines ;  the  tarsus  1  inch  4  lines. 
—  In  the  male  the  head  and  greater  part  of  the  neck  is  greenish- 
black,  reflecting  deep  violet-purple.  Beneath  with  a  dark  chestnut- 
brown  collar.  Base  of  the  neck,  whole  dorsal  plumage,  tertiaries, 
greater  coverts,  breast,  vent,  and  under  tail  coverts,  greenish-black : 
lesser  coverts,  primaries,  and  tail,  blackish-brown.  Secondaries 
pearl-grey,  narrowly  tipped  with  white.  Belly  white,  from  which 
there  is  a  crescent-shaped  curve  to  the  shoulder ;  flanks  and  pos- 
terior part  of  the  belly  finely  waved  with  blackish-brown.  Bill 
black ;  rictus,  line  round  the  base,  and  belt  near  the  tip  of  the  upper 
mandible,  light  blue.  Irids  deep  yellow.  Legs  blackish-brown. 
Closed  wings  3  inches  shorter  than  the  tail. 

In  the  female  the  upper  plumage  is  dark  brown,  edged  on  the  top 
of  the  head,  shoulders,  scapulars  and  breast,  with  chestnut.  Sides 
of  the  breast  and  flanks  unmixed  dark  chestnut.  Speculum  as  in 
the  male.  Region  of  the  bill,  throat,  and  belly,  greyish-white, 
speckled  with  brown.  Posterior  part  of  the  belly  liver-brown.  The 
greater  extent  of  the  flattened  triangular  part  of  the  bill  next  the 
front  serves  to  distinguish  the  female  of  this  species  from  that  of 
the  Scaup. 

In  the  young  male  a  year  old,  the  belly  is  more  clouded,  the  upper 
plumage  wants  the  chestnut  tints,  has  a  darker  color  than  in  the 
female,  and  the  brown  of  the  collar  is  not  formed.  <  ,  ,:^  , 


Subgenus.  —  Clangula.  Bonap.  {Genxxa  oi,  Boie.) 

With  the  hill  short,  narrow  and  elevated  at  the  base,  somewhat 
attenuated  at  the  extremity.    J^ostrils  subovaJ,  somewhat  anterior  to 
or  near  the  middle  of  the  bill.    Tail  rather  long,  mostly  composed 
of  16  feathers. 
-  This  tribe  of  Sea  Ducks  reside  generally  in  high  northern  latitudes. 


■"'lUii 


COMMON   GOLDEN   EYE. 


441 


w 


■  I 


•■■"•JpSIP' 


COMMON  GOLDEN  EYE. 


(Fuligida  elangula,  Bonap.  Synops,  No.  342.  Clangula  vulgaris, 
Leach.  Flemino.  Rich,  and  Swains.   North.  Zool.   ii.  p.  45C. 

5  ^nas  clangula,  Linn.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  ap.  87.  Temm.  ii.  p.  870. 
Wilson,  viii.  p.  G2.  pi.  67.  fig.  6.  [male.]  Golden  Eye,  Penn.  Arct. 
Zool.  No.  486.  Ib.  Brit.  Zool.  p.  154.  t.  Q.  [male  and  female.] 
Ibid.  Morillon,  (Anas  glaucion,)  ii.  p.  300.  F.  [young.]     Le  Garrot. 

,  Buff.  Ois.  ix.  p.  222.  PI.  Enlum.  802.  Clangula,  Gesner. 
JoHNST.  and  Klein,  [male.]     Phil  Museum,  No.  2021.) 

Sp.  Charact. ■ — Speculum  white;  under  wing  coverts  black;  tail 
rounded,  of  16  feathers.  —  Male  white;  back,  wings,  and  tail 
black,  feathers  of  the  head  tumid,  purplish-green ;  a  roundish 
white  spot  on  either  side  near  the  base  of  the  bill.  Female  cinere- 
ous ;  beneath  white  ;  head  and  adjoining  part  of  the  neck  umber- 
brown,  and  without  the  white  spot  on  the  face. 

The  Golden  Eye  is  a  common  inhabitant  of  the  boreal 
regions  of  both  continents,  from  whence  it  migrates  in  small 
flocks  at  the  approach  of  winter,  accompanying  the  Velvet, 
Surf  Duck,  and  Scoter,  in  their  desultory  route  in  quest  of 
subsistence.  On  their  way,  soon  after  the  commencement 
of  their  adventurous  voyage,  they  visit  the  shores  of  Hud- 
son's Bay,  and  their  congenial  lakes  in  the  interior,  on 
which  they  linger,  feeding  on  tender  and  small  shell-fish, 
until  debarred  by  the  invasion  of  frost.  They  breed  in  all 
parts  of  the  desolate  and  remote  fur  countries  in  great  num- 
bers, frequenting  the  rivers  and  fresh-water  lakes,  on  whose 
borders  they  pass  the  period  of  reproduction,  making  a  rude 
nest  of  grass,  and  protecting  the  necessary  warmth  of  their 
eggs  by  a  layer  of  feathers  or  down  plucked  from  the  breast. 
According  to  Linnaeus  it  lays  from  7  to  10  white  eggs,  which 
it  often  conceals  and  protects  with  its  nest  in  hollow  trees. 
And  Skioldebrand  adds,  that  in  common  with  the  Velvet 
Duck,  it  breeds  abundantly  in  Lapland,  on  the  banks  of  the 


443 


WEB-FOOTED    BIROS. 


I 


Tornea,  within  the  Arctic  circle,  and  nearly  to  the  northern 
extremity  of  Europe.  The  inhabitants,  for  the  value  of 
the  eggs,  take  the  trouble  to  accommodate  these  useful  and 
almost  domestic  birds,  by  attaching  hollowed  pieces  of  wood 
to  the  stunted  Pine  trees  in  which  they  ordinarily  breed. 
They  extend  their  summer  residence  as  far  as  Northern 
Asia  and  Greenland,  yet  in  Europe  some  pairs  are  observed 
to  propagate  even  in  temperate  countries. 

Although  furnished  with  a  remarkably  complicated  tra- 
chea in  the  male,  and  the  name  of  Clangula,  we  cannot 
learn  that  they  ever  possess  any  audible  voice.  When 
flushed  they  rise  in  silence,  and  we  then  only  hear,  instead 
of  a  cry  or  a  quack,  the  very  perceptible  and  noisy  whistling 
of  their  short  and  laboring  wings,  for  which  reason  they 
are  here  sometimes  called  by  our  gunners  the  Brass-Eyed 
Whistlers.  In  their  native  haunts  they  are  by  no  means 
shy,  allowing  the  sportsman  to  make  a  near  approach,  as 
if  conscious  at  the  same  time  of  their  impunity  from  ordi- 
nary peril,  for  no  sooner  do  they  perceive  the  flash  of  the 
gun,  or  hear  the  twang  of  the  bow,  than  they  dive  with  a 
dexterity  which  sets  the  sportsman  at  defiance,  and  they 
continue  it  so  Ion?  and  with  such  remarkable  success  that 
the  aboriginal  natives  have  nick-named  them  as  conjuring 
or  *  Spirit  Ducks.' 

The  food  of  the  Golden  Eye,  for  which  they  are  often 
seen  diving,  consists  of  shell-fish,  fry,  small  reptiles,  insects, 
small  Crustacea,  and  tender  marine  plants.  In  and  near 
fresh  waters  they  feed  on  fluviatile  vegetables,  such  as  the 
roots  of  Equisetums,  and  the  seeds  of  some  species  of  Poly- 
gonum. Their  flesh,  particularly  that  of  the  young,  is  gen- 
erally well  flavored,  though  inferior  to  that  of  several  other 
kinds  of  Ducks. 

In  Europe,  they  descend  in  their  migrations  to  the  south 
along  the  coasts  of  the  ocean,  as  far  as  Italy,  where  they  are 


COMMON    GOLDEN    EYE. 


448 


known  by  the  name  of  QutUtr*  Occhi,  or  four  eyes,  from 
the  two  round  and  white  spots  placed  near  the  corners  of 
the  bill,  which  at  a  distance  give  almost  the  appearance  of 
two  additional  eyes.  They  likewise  pass  into  the  central 
parts  of  the  continent  and  visit  the  great  lakes  of  Switzer- 
land. They  are  equally  common,  at  the  same  season,  in 
most  parts  of  the  United  States,  as  far  probably  as  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  Union,  and  early  in  spring  they  are  again 
seen  in  Missouri  and  on  the  wide  bosom  of  the  Mississippi, 
preparing  to  depart  for  their  natal  regions  in  the  north. 
Though  they  fly  with  vigor,  from  the  shortness  of  their  legs 
and  the  ampleness  of  the  webs  of  their  feet,  the  Clangulas 
walk  badly  and  with  pain ;  they  advance  only  by  jerks, 
and  strike  the  ground  so  strongly  with  their  broad  feet,  that 
each  step  produces  a  noise  like  the  slapping  of  the  hands ; 
the  wings  are  also  extended  to  retain  an  equilibrium,  and 
if  hurried,  the  awkward  bird  falls  on  its  breast,  and  stretches 
its  feet  out  behind.  Born  only  for  the  water,  the  Golden 
Eye,  except  in  the  season  of  propagation,  seldom  quits  it, 
but  for  to  dry  itself  awhile  in  the  air,  and  immediately  after 
returns  to  its  natural  element. 

The  Common  Golden  Eye,  would  appear  from  various  authorities 
to  vary  from  19  to  22i^  inches !  With  this  larger  size  in  the  mdlef 
the  wing  is  said  to  be  9  inches  long :  the  bill  above,  about  1^  inches, 
and  the  tarsus  exactly  the  same  length.  —  The  head  and  two  inches 
of  the  neck  is  brilliant  duck-green.  Forehead  and  chin  blackish- 
brown.  The  back,  long  scapulars,  coverts  bordering  the  wing,  pri- 
maries,  4  outer  secondaries,  and  the  tertiaries,  pitch-black.  A  round 
spot  beneath  the  lores,  lower  part  of  the  neck,  shoulders,  outer  scap- 
ulars,  intermediate  and  greater  coverts,  7  posterior  secondaries,  and 
the  whole  under  plumage  pure  white,  except  the  deep  black  edges 
of  the  long  flank  feathers,  and  the  space  round  the  thighs,  which,  with 
the  tail,  are  broccoli-brown.  Bill  black,  high. at  the  base,  narrowed 
towards  the  point.  Feet  orange.  Irids  golden-yellow.  Head  large ; 
forehead  high;  occipital  plumage  lengthened.  Wings  acute,  2^ 
inches  shorter  than  the  tail.    1st  and  2d  quills  subequal  and  longest. 


mim^ 


WEB-rOOTED    BIRDH. 


Tom  long.  The  fenuile  reieinbles  that  of  the  following  ■p«<)i«f| 
differing  only  in  the  form  of  the  bill.  In  the  young  qfthe  year  the 
white  space  on  the  side  of  the  bill  begins  to  appear,  and  the  feathen 
of  the  head  are  black  without  reflection!.  —  In  the  nudtf  the  traoheftf 
about  ii»  middle  awella  out  to  4  time*  its  common  diameter ;  thrM 
inohea  below  this  enlargement  it  enters  the  labyrinth,  which  is  about 
the  size  of  a  walnut  and  of  a  structure  almost  too  complicated  fov 
description ;  for  a  figure  of  it  see  L(n.  Tranaact.  iv.  pi.  15.  fig.  1,  9. 


ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  GOLDEN  EYE. 

(FuligtUa  Barrovii.  Clangula  Barrovii,  Rich,  and  Swains.  North. 
I  Zool.  ii.  p.  456.  plate.  70.) 

Bp.  Gharact.  —  Head  and  upper  part  of  the  neck  pansey-purpte^ 
with  a  large  white  crescent  before  each  eye  ;  the  white  speculum 
separated  from  the  band  on  the  covorts  by  a  black  stripe.  —  Femalef 
as  in  the  preceding;  but  the  bill, as  in  the  male  alao,  is  shorter  and 
narrower  towards  the  point. 

The  habits  of  this  species,  so  nearly  related  to  the  prece- 
ding, are  said  to  be  wholly  similar.  It  has  hitherto  beea 
found  only  in  the  valleys  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Besides 
the  permanent  difference  in  the  bill,  this  species  is  further 
distinguished  by  the  purer  color  of  its  dorsal  plumage,  and. 
the  smaller  portion  of  white  on  its  wing  and  scapulars.  Its 
long  flank  feathers  are  also  much  more  broadly  bordered  all 
round  with  black. 

Length  of  the  species  22^  inches ;  the  wing  9j^  inches ;  the  bill 
above,  1  inch  4  lines  ;  the  tarsus  1  inch  7  lines  ;  the  middle  and  outer 
toe  each  2i|  inches  long.  —  In  the  male,  the  head  and  two  inches  of 
the  neck  are  bright  pansey-purple,  with  a  greenish  reflecticm  on  the 
ears.  Forehead  and  chin  brownish-black.  Dorsal  plumage,  wings, 
and  broad  tips  of  the  long  flank  feathers,  mostly  velveVblack.  The 
crescent-shaped  patch  from  the  rictus  to  the  sides  of  the  forehead, 
lower  part  of  the  neck,  shoulders,  tips  of  the  outer  scapulars,  lower 
row  of  lesser  coverts,  tips  of  the  greater  coverts,  6  secondaries  and 


,»     ftPliilT    DUCK. 


445 


iar  the 
>athen 

rach6At 
;  thre« 
•  about 
ted  fox 
ig.1,9. 


.  North. 


the  under  plumage,  pure  white.  Space  round  the  thighi,  the  tail, 
and  its  lateral  under  coverts,  broccoli-brown.  Bill  blackish.  Legs 
orange ;  webs  black.  —  The  feathers  of  the  forehead  terminate 
on  the  bill  in  a  semicircular  outline.  The  plumage  of  the  occiput 
and  nape,  longer  than  in  the  Common  Golden  Eye,  and  forming  a 
more  decided  crest.     Wings  2^  inches  shorter  than  the  tail. 

In  the  female,  tho  head  and  adjoining  part  of  the  neck  are  umber- 
brown,  and  without  any  white  mark.  Dorsal  plumage  pitch-black  ; 
its  anterior  part,  particularly  the  shoulders  and  the  base  of  the  neck 
all  round,  edged  with  ash-grey.  A  whito  collar  round  the  middle  of 
the  neck.  Flanks  clove-brown,  edged  ,vith  white.  Intermediate 
coverts  blotched  with  white  and  black  ;  greater  coverts  white,  tipped 
with  black.  Secondaries  as  in  the  male.  Both  mandibles  orange  at 
the  point,  their  tips  and  posterior  points  black.  Feet  as  in  the 
male. 


e  prece- 
to  been 
Besides 
further 
Eige,  and 
irs.  Its 
lered  all 


the  bill 
and  outer 
inchcB  of 
ion  on  the 
e,  wings, 
ick.  The 
forehead, 
ars,  lower 
daries  and 


^ 


SPIRIT  DUCK. 

(Fuligula  alheola,  Bona  p.  Synops.  No.  343.  Clangula  afbeola,  Rich. 
and  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  4.')8.  ^nas  alheola,  Linn.  Fors- 
TER,  Phil.  Trana.  l.:ii.  p,  41 G.  No.  47.  Spirit  Duck,  (A.  albcola,) 
Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  487.  Buffel  Duck,  (Jlnaa  hucephala,) 
Lin.  Penn.  ii.  No.  489.  BufFel-headfd  Duck,  (Anas  albeola,) 
Wilson,  viii.  p.  51.  pi.  67.  fig.  2.  [male.]  fig.  8.  [female.]  The 
little  Black  and  White  Duck,  Edwards,  pi.  100.  [male.]  Le  jietit 
Canard  h  grosse  Ute,  Buff.  Ois.  ix.  p.  249.  PI  Enlum.  948. 
Catesbv,  i.  p.  95.     Phil.  Museum,  No.  2730.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Speculum  and  under  wing  coverts  white;  tail 
rounded,  composed  of  1(3  feathers. — Male  varied  with  black  and 
white ;  head  tumid,  green  and  auricula-purple  :  a  large  white 
■pace  passing  over  the  top  of  the  head  to  each  eye.  Female  sooty 
black,  with  a  white  spot  on  each  side  of  the  head. 

This  very  elegant  little  Duck,  so  remarkable  for  its  ex- 
pertness  in  diving  and  disappearing  from  the  sight,  is 
another  of  these  species,  like  the  Golden  Eye,  to  which  the 
aborigines  have  given  the  name  of  Spirit  or  Conjurer,  from 
the  impunity  with  which  it  usually  escapes  at  the  flash  of 
38 


^ 


446 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


fhe  gun  or  the  twang  of  the  bow.  In  the  summer  season  it 
is  seen  abundantly  on  rivers  and  fresh-water  lakes  through- 
out the  fur  countries,  where  they  breed,  in  Juno,  and  about 
Hudson's  Bay  are  said  to  make  their  nests  in  hollow  treef, 
in  the  woods  contiguous  to  water,  a  provision  of  some 
importance,  probably,  from  the  impotent  manner  in  which 
the  birds  of  this  section  proceed  on  the  ground.  In  autumn 
and  winter  they  are  seen  almost  in  every  part  of  the  Union, 
sometimes  frequenting  the  sea  shores,  but  more  particularly 
rivers  and  lakes.  They  are  observed  in  Missouri,  and  on 
the  Mississippi  round  Natchez.  In  February  they  were  very 
abundant  in  the  river  Neuse  in  North  Carolina,  in  the 
vicinity  of  Newbern,  and  dive  very  dexterously  and  perse- 
veringly  in  quest  of  their  food,  which  is  at  that  time  prin- 
cipally fluviatile  and  submerged  vegetables,  particularly  the 
sea-wrack  ;  they  also  sometimes  visit  the  bays  and  salt 
marshes  in  quest  of  the  Laver  or  Ulva  lactuca,  as  well  as 
Crustacea  and  small  shell-fish.  They  are  oflen  exceedingly 
fat,  and  in  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey  are  commonly 
known  by  the  ridiculous  name  of  Butter-Box  or  Butter-BalL 
Their  flesh,  however,  like  that  of  the  preceding,  is  not  in 
very  high  request  for  the  table ;  but  the  females  and  young, 
which  are  almost  the  only  kinds  that  visit  this  part  of  Mas- 
sachusetts in  winter,  are  very  tender  and  well  flavored. 

In  February,  the  males  are  already  engaged  in  jealous 
contests  for  the  selection  of  their  mates,  and  they  are  then 
seen  assembled  in  small  flocks  of  both  sexes.  The  drake 
is  now  heard  to  quale,  and  repeatedly  move  his  head  back- 
ward and  forward  in  the  frolicksome  humor  of  our  domes- 
tic Ducks  ;  and  about  the  middle  of  April  or  early  in  May, 
they  have  all  disappeared  on  their  way  to  their  natal  regions 
in  the  north. 

From  their  great  propensity  to  diving,  they  are  commonly 
known  in  the  Carolinas  by  the  name  of  Dippers ;  when 


SPIRIT   DUCK. 


447 


wounded  or  hit  with  shot,  they  will  oflen  dive  or  conceal 
themselves  with  such  art,  that  they  seem  as  though  they 
had  voluntarily  buried  themselves  in  the  water,  and  probably 
often  remain  wholly  submerged  to  the  bill,  or  disappear  in 
the  jaws  of  a  pike.  , 

The  length  of  the  Spirit  Duck  !■  about  16  inehei ;  the  wing  6 
inches  8  lineg ;  the  bill  above,  1  inch  1  line ;  the  taraua  1  inch  4 
linoH.  In  the  male  the  forehead,  region  of  the  bill,  nucha]  crcHt,  and 
upper  sides  of  the  neck  are  of  a  rich  duck-green,  blending  with  the 
resplendent  auricula-purple  of  the  top  of  the  head  and  throat.  The 
broad  band  from  the  eye  to  the  top  of  the  occipital  crest,  lower  half 
of  the  neck,  the  shoulders,  exterior  scapulars,  intermediate  and 
greater  coverts,  outer  webs  of  5  or  6  secondaries,  flanks,  and  under 
plumage  to  the  vent,  pure  white.  Back,  long  scapulars,  and  tertia- 
ries,  velvet-black :  lesser  coverts  bordering  the  wing  the  same, 
edged  with  white.  Primaries  and  their  coverts  brownish-black. 
Tail  coverts  blackish-grey ;  tail  broccoli-brown.  Vent  and  under 
tail  coverts  greyish.  Bill  bluish-black.  Legs  yellowish.  Nostrils 
nearer  the  base  of  the  bill  than  in  the  two  preceding  Clangulas,  and 
the  bill  als^ smaller  in  proportion.  Head  large,  with  the  upper  part 
of  the  neck  clothed  in  velvety  plumage,  rising  into  a  short  thick 
crest.     Wings  2^  inches  shorter  than  the  tail. 

The  female  smaller.  Head  and  dorsal  plumage  dark  blackish- 
brown.  The  fore  part  of  the  back,  scapulars,  and  tertiaries,  edged 
with  yellowish-brown.  Forepart  of  the  neck,  sides  of  the  breast, 
flanks,  and  vent  feathers,  blackish-grey;  breast  and  belly  white, 
glossed  with  brownish-orange.  The  white  band  on  the  ears  and 
occiput  much  narrower  than  in  the  male.  Lesser  coverts  and  scapu- 
lata  blackish-brown.  Bill  and  feet  brownish.  Length  14i|  inches 
—  The  young  males  resemble  the  females.  Individuals  vary  much 
in  size. 


I 

r 


<i-^>^rt 


HARLEQUIN  DUCK. 

(FuUgula  histrionica,  Bonaf.  Synops.  No.  345.  Clangula  hiatriO' 
nicuy  Leach.  Rich,  and  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  459.  Jlnas 
histrionica,  Linn.  Forster.  Phil.  Trans.  Ixii.  p.  419.  No.  52. 
Lath.  Ind.  sp.  45.  Wilson,  viii.  p.  139.  pL  72.  fig.  4.  Temm.  ii. 
p.  878.  Harlequin  Duck,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  490.  Dusky 
and  Spotted  Duck,  Edwards,  pi.  99.  [female.]  PaintecLDuck,  and 
Mountain  Duck,  Hudson's  Bay  Residents,  Le  Canard  A  collier 
de  Terre  JVeuve,  Buff.  Ois.  ix.  p.  250.  Ib.  PL  Enlum.  798.  Phil. 
Museum,  No ) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Speculum  blue-black ;  space  before  the  eye  and 
auriculars,  white ;  tail  wedge-shaped  consisting  of  14  pointed 
feathers ;  bill  narrow,  not  hooked  at  the  extremity.  —  Male,  bluish- 
plumbeous,  varied  with  black  and  white ;  line  over  the  eye  and 
flanks  rufous.  Female  greyish-brown,  below  greyish- white,  barred 
with  dull  brown ;  auricular  spot,  and  a  small  one  near  the  front, 
white. 

This  singularly  marked  and  beautiful  species  is  almost  a 
constant  resident  of  the  hyperboreal  regions  of  the  northern 
hemisphere,  from  which  it  migrates  but  short  distances 
towards  more  temperate  latitudes,  and  is  as  in  Europe  a  rare 
and  almost  accidental  visiter  as  far  as  the  Middle  States  of 
the  Union.  It  is  however  more  frequent  in  Eastern  Europe 
up  to  Greenland ;  and  common  from  lake  Baikal  to  Kam- 


HARLEQUIN   DUCK. 


449 


tschatka.  Now  and  then  it  is  killed  in  Scotland  and  the 
Orkneys.  Dr.  Richardson  found  it  to  be  a  rare  bird  in  the 
fur  countries,  haunting  eddies  under  cascades,  and  rapid 
streams,  where  it  dwells  and  breeds  apart  from  all  other 
Ducks.  In  Kamtschatka  it  affects  the  same  retired  and 
remarkable  romantic  situations ;  like  the  alpine  Cinclus,  it 
seeks  out  the  most  rocky  and  agitated  torrents,  in  such 
situations  it  has  been  seen  in  the  rivulets  of  Hudson's  Bay, 
as  much  as  90  miles  inland  from  the  sea ;  here  it  seeks 
out  its  appropriate  fare  of  spawn,  shell-fish,  and  the  larvsB 
of  aquatic  or  fluviatile  insects.  On  the  low  bushy  and 
shady  banks  of  these  streams  it  constructs  its  nest,  which 
contains  from  12  to  14  pure  white  eggs.  On  the  margins  of 
fresh-water  ponds  in  Labrador  Mr.  Audubon  also  observed 
this  species,  and  he  remarks,  that  instead  of  rearing  their 
young  in  the  same  situations  chosen  for  breeding,  as  with  the 
Velvet  and  Surf  Duck,  it  conducts  its  brood  to  the  sea  as  soon 
as  they  are  hatched.  Its  flight  is  high  and  swifl ;  and  it  swims 
and  dives  with  the  utmost  dexterity.  So  great  is  its  confidence 
in  the  security  of  its  most  natural  element,  that  on  the  report 
of  a  gun  over  the  water,  it  instantly  quits  its  flight  and  dives 
at  once  with  the  celerity  of  thought.*  It  is  said  to  be 
clamorous,  and  that  its  voice  is  a  sort  of  whistle ;  the  anatomy 
of  the  trachea  is  however,  unknown,  and  it  is  not  said 
whether  this  sibilation  be  really  produced  from  the  throat  or 
the  wings,  as  is  the  latter  case  in  the  Common  Clangula 
or  Golden  Eye.  Driven  from  their  solitary  resorts  in  the 
interior  by  the  invasion  of  frost,  they  are  now  seen  out  at 
sea  engaged  in  obtaining  a  different  mode  of  subsistence. 
Amidst  these  icy  barriers  they  still  continue  to  endure  the 
rigors  of  winter,  continually  receding  further  out  to  sea,  or 
making  linaited  and  almost  accidental  visits  to  milder  re- 


38* 


*  Audubon  in  lit. 


m 


'•f 

■■„■,'■ 


460 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


gions.  When  discovered,  they  display  the  utmost  vigilance, 
and  instantly  take  to  wing.  It  is  considered  to  be  a  game 
superior  in  flavor  to  the  Common  Wild  Duck.  From  the 
singular  and  beautiful  crescent-shaped  lines  and  marks 
which  ornament  its  neck  and  breast  it  has  probably  ccaae 
by  the  dignified  appellation  of  lord,  among  the  fishers  of 
Newfoundland.  It  is  here  too  rare  to  have  acquired  any 
particular  name. 

The  Harlequin  Duck  is  about  20  inches  in  length ;  the  wing  8 
inches ;  the  bill  above,  1  inch  1  line ;  the  tarsus  Ij^  inches.  The  gen- 
eral  color  of  the  nude  is  plumbeous  inclining  to  blue.  The  head  and 
neck  black  with  a  gloss  of  violet.  A  large  triangular  space  of  white 
betwixt  the  base  of  the  bill  and  the  front  of  the  eye  connecting  with 
a  chestnut  stripe  descending  to  the  occiput  where  it  meets  and  in- 
cludes a  stripe  of  black.  An  oval  white  spot  neax  the  ears.  A  lin- 
ear-oblong white  patch  of  about  1|  inches  on  the  sides  of  tlie  nape. 
A  white  ring  round  the  base  of  the  neck,  broader  anteriorly  ;  also  a 
long  curving  white  spot  margined  with  black  on  either  side  from  the 
shoulders  towards  the  front  of  the  breast.  Tertiaries  and  scapulars 
with  a  broad  white  space  on  their  inner  webs  towards  their  tipfc. 
The  speculum  black  glossed  with  indigo-blue.  Beneath  slate  color 
tinged  with  chestnut.  Flanks  as  far  as  the  thighs  bright  chestnut. 
Rump  and  longish  pointed  tail,  black.  A  small  white  spot  on  the 
sides  near  the  rump.  Bill  bluish-black,  the  tip  orange-red.  Irids 
dusky.  Legs  and  feet  blackish-brown.  Wings  IJ  inches  shorter 
than  the  ttipering  tail.    The  female  much  smaller  than  the  male. 


Subgenus.  —  *Macropus. 

The  bill  nearly  as  high  as  the  head  at  the  base,  and  narrowed 
towards  the  extremity.  JVostrils  basal.  The  head  small.  The  body 
and  feet  robust.  The  tertiaries  curving  outwards,  Tail  wedge- 
shaped,  compced  of  12  feathers.  Nearly  allied  to  the  subgenus 
OiDEHiA,  but  without  the  frontal  plates  at  the  base  of  the  bill. 

This  very  singular  Duck  is  confined  to  East  Asia  and  the  western 
side  of  the  American  continent,  where  it  dwells  in  high  latitudes 
and  nests  in  tlie  inaccessible  cli.?']  contiguous  to  the  sea  coast. 


I 


WESTERN  SUCK. 


451 


vigilance, 
e  a  game 
From  the 
ad  marks 
ibly  c<Hne 
fishers  of 
luired  any 

the  wing  8 
,  The  gen- 
he  head  and 
ice  of  white 
lecting  with 
ets  and  in* 
ars.  A  lin* 
}f  tlie  nape, 
orly  ;  also  a 
ide  from  the 
id  scapulars 
3  their  tip&. 

slate  color 
it  chestnut, 
ipot  on  the 

red.  Irids 
hes  shorter 

le  male. 


If  j^./>. 


'-«>. 


■^SReS'isia 


Id  narrowed 
The  body 
;'ail  wedge- 
)  subgenus 
biU. 
the  western 
^h  latitudes 
ioast. 


WESTERN  DUCK. 


(Fttligvla  Stelleri,  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  344.  ^nas  Stelleri,  Falias. 
Spicil.  Zool.  fasc.  v.  p.  35,  tab.  5.  Aruudispar,  and  A.  Stelleri, 
Gmel.  Syst.  Lath.  Ind.  iii.  Western  Duck,  Pjeni».  Arct.  Zool.  ii. 
p.  289.  No.  457.  plate  23.  Spakman,  Mus.  Carls,  tab.  7.  and  8. 
Steller's  And,  Swensk,  Zool.  ii.  fascic.  ii.  pi.  62.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Speculum  metallic  black,  margined  with  white; 
bill  blackish-green ;  tail  cuneiform.  —  Male  white ;  beneath  rufous ; 
front  and  band  on  the  nape  greenish ;  orbits,  throat,  collar,  and 
back  black.    Female  reddish-brown,  varied  with  dusky  and  black. 

This  beautiful  and  singular  Duck  was  discovered  by  the 
learned  voyager  Steller,  in  flocks,  inhabiting,  during  the 
breeding  season,  the  inaccessible  rocks  on  the  coast  of 
Kamtschatka.  In  these  wild  and  desolate  retreats,  con- 
tiguous to  the  sea,  they  were  found  to  have  their  nests,  but 
were  so  exclusively  maritime,  as  never  to  enter  even  the 
estuaries  of  the  contiguous  rivers.  They  are  very  common 
at  Oonalashka,  and  stray  accidentally  into  northern  and 
eastern  Europe,  and  probably  sometimes  into  Atlantic  Ame- 
rica ;  but  like  the  Eider,  whose  aspect  and  manners  they 
so  nearly  possess,  they  seldom  stray  farther  from  their  natrJ 
abodes  than  to  the  open  inlets  and  sm-f:  contiguous  to  their 
favorite  haunts.  A  pair  were  shot  i)\  Ostsr  Gothland,  in 
Sweden,  both  of  which  were  engrrveu  by  Doctor  Sparman. 
They  inhabit  likewise  the  v/estern  coast  of  Auterica. 

The  length  of  this  species  is  about  17  inches.  In  the  male  there 
is  a  small  occipital  crest.  There  are  two  spots  of  bright  gret'n,  one 
upon  the  nape,  and  the  other  larger  one  parses  along  the  lower  part 
of  the  front  and  from  the  bill  to  the  eyes.  The  eyes  are  surrounded 
with  small  silky  black  feathers.  The  fore  part  of  the  neck,  throat 
and  back,  black,  with  violet  reflections  j  a  collar  round  the  neck  of 
the  same  color  but  more  brilliant.  The  breast  slightly  tinged  with 
rofouB ;  the  rest  of  the  body   white.    The  primaries  bright  dark 


i 


,'. 


452 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


V 


brown ;  the  secondaries  black,  tipped  with  white ;  the  tertiaries  violet 
black  externally,  white  interually,  they  are  also  pointed  and  curved 
outwards  towards  their  extremities.  Vent  and  tail  black,  the  latter 
short  and  pointed.  Bill  black.  Iris  pale  brown.  The  feet  black.  — 
The  female  is  ferruginous  marked  with  ^usky  and  black,  with  two 
white  spots  upon  the  wing  coverts,  the  feathers  of  which  are  straight 
and  blackish.  This  is  the  Anas  ferruginea  of  Latham. 
.;..„--.  .,     ..^     --  ::.    .  ...>,.     _. ...  /„,.;  .^.., 


Subgenus.  —  Harelda.     (Genus  of,  Leach.) 

•{  ■ 

With  the  bill  very  short,  and  high  at  the  base,  the  nail  broad  and 
arched';  laminee  distant,  prominent,  and  cutting;  the  upper  ones 
projecting  below  the  margin  of  the  mandible  ;  the  lower  ones  also 
considerable  as  the  upper,  and  divided  into  two  nearly  equal  rows. 
Kostrils  large  and  oblong,  almost  basal.  Front  high  ;  the  neck  rath- 
er thick.  Tail  very  long  and  tapering  composed  of  14  feathers. 
Toes  short. 

This  is  altogether  a  marine  species,  inhabiting  }he  arctic  regions 
of  both  continents.  It  is  generally  gregarious,  feeds  on  marine  pro- 
ductions, vegetable  and  animal,  and  is  remarkable  in  winter  for  its 
noisy  vociferation.    The  plumage  varying  in  color  with  the  season. 


::^^mm^.  '?.!-» rTK»1^'-.->  '•/;■' 


/:/ 


m 


t  ■•■ 


'{ 


,.r,^if,-^    .*^- 


-«  LONG-TAILED  DUCK.  ^ 

(Fuligula  giacialis,  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  34G.  Harelda  glacialiSf 
Leach,  and  Rich,  and  Svvains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  4G0  ^nas 
giacialis,  Linn.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  sp.  82.  Temm.  ii.  p.  SCO.  Wilsow, 
viii.  p.  93.  pi.  70.  fig.  1.  and  2.  [male  and  female  in  winter  dress.} 
Long-tailed  Duck,  Penn.  Arct  Zool,  ii.  No.  501.  Ib.  Brit.  Zool. 
p.  150.  t.  Q.  Canard  a  long  Queue,  ou  Canard  dc  Miclon,  Buff. 
Ois.  ix.  p.  202.  Ibid.  PI.  Enlum.  1008.  La  Sarcelle  de  Ferroe.  PI. 
Enlum.  999.  Anas  caudacuta  harilda,  Ray.  Syn.  p.  145,  14.  [tha 
young  of  the  year].     Phil.  Museum,  No.  2810.) 

Sp.  Chahact.  —  Speculum  brown,  nearly  of  the  same  color  with 
the  wing ;  a  whitish  space  round  the  eye,  tail  long  of  14  unequal 
pointed  feathers.      Male  varied  with  black  and  white  ;  middle  tail 

■  feathers  greatly  elongated.  Wm«erj»fMmagc,  with  the  head,  neck 
and  scapulars  white,  the  latter  pearly.    Femrde  dusky  brown,  throat 

•  and  collar  ash-grey ;  crown  blackish  :  in  winter  beneath  white. 

This  elegant  and  noisy  Duck,  known  so  generally  in  the 
Southern  States  by  the  nickname  of  '  South-Southerly,' 
from  its  note,  and,  in  most  other  parts  by  the  appellation  of 


454 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


*01d  Squaws '  or  'Old  Wives,*  is  an  Arctic  inhabitant  of  both 
continents,  and  abounds  in  the  glacial  seas  of  America, 
where  it  is  seen  commonly  associated  with  the  Eider,  Surf, 
Black  and  other  Ducks  of  congenial  habits,  who  invariably 
prefer  the  frail  but,  to  them,  productive  dominion  of  the  sea 
to  the  land  or  its  more  peaceful  waters.  So  strong  is  the 
predilection  of  this  species  for  its  frigid  natal  climes  and 
their  icy  barriers,  that  it  is  seen  to  linger  in  the  north  as  long 
as  the  existence  of  any  open  water  can  be  ascertained; 
when  the  critical  moment  of  departure,  at  length  approach- 
es, common  wants  and  general  feeling  begin  so  far  to  pre- 
vail as  to  unite  the  scattered  families  into  numerous  flocks. 
They  now  proceed  towards  the  south,  and  making  a  halt  on 
the  shores  and  inland  lakes  round  Hudson's  Bay,  remain 
until  again  reluctantly  driven  towards  milder  climes 
They  are  the  last  birds  of  passage  that  take  leave  of  the 
fur  countries.  Familiar  with  cold,  and  only  driven  to  mi- 
grate for  food,  in  the  latter  end  of  August,  when  already  a 
thin  crust  of  ice  is  seen  forming  in  the  night  over  the  still 
surface  of  the  Arctic  Sea,  the  female  Harelda  is  observed 
ingeniously  breaking  a  way  with  her  wings  for  the  egress  of 
her  young  brood. 

According  to  the  state  of  the  weather  we  consequently 
observe  the  variable  arrival  of  these  birds.  In  October  they 
generally  pay  us  a  visit,  the  old  already  clad  in  the  more 
dazzling  garb  of  winter.  The  young  sometimes  seek  out 
the  shelter  of  the  fresh-water  ponds,  but  the  old  keep  out  at 
sea.  No  place  in  the  Union  so  abounds  with  these  gabblers 
as  the  Bay  of  Chesapeake.  They  are  lively,  restless  and 
gregarious  *i:  all  'eir  movements,  and  fly,  dive  and  swim 
with  unrivtlied  dexterity;  -md  subsist  chiefly  upon  small 
shell-fish,  ; nd  marine  plants,  particularly  the  Zostera  or 
Grass-Wrack.  Late  in  the  evening,  or  early  in  the  morning, 
towards  spring  more  particularly,  vast  flocks  are  seen  in  the 


LONGKTAILED   DUCK. 


455 


tantof  both 
f  America, 
lider,  Surf, 

invariably 
{ of  the  sea 
ong  is  the 
climes  and 
orth  as  long 
scertained ; 
I  approach- 
»  far  to  pre- 
rous  flocks, 
ig  a  halt  on 
lay,   remain 
ler    climes 
eave  of  the 
triven  to  mi- 
in  already  a 
3ver  the  still 

is  observed 
he  egress  of 

onsequently 
)ctober  they 
n  the  more 
seek  out 
keep  out  at 
!se  gabblers 
estless  and 
and  swim 
upon  small 
Zostera  or 
le  morning, 
seen  in  tho 


bays  and  sheltered  inlets,  and  in  calm  and  foggy  weather 
we  hear  the  loud  and  blended  nasal  call  reiterated  for  hours 
from  the  motley  multitude.     There  is  something  in  the 
sound  like  the  honk  of  the  goose,  and,  as  far  as  words  can 
express  a  subject  so  uncouth,   it  resembles  the  guttural 
syllables  'ogh  ough  egh,  and  then  'ogh  ogh  ogh  ough  egh, 
given  in  a  ludicrous  drawling  tone ;  but  still  with  all  the 
accompaniments  of  scene  and  season,  this  humble  harbin- 
ger of  spring,  obeying  the  feelings  of  nature,  and  pouring 
forth  his  final  ditty  before  his  departure  to  the  distant  north, 
conspire  with  the  novelty  of  the  call,  to  please  rather  than 
disgust  those  happy  few  who  may  be  willing  '  to  fiiid  good  in 
every  thing.'     This  peculiar  cry,  is  well  known  to  the  abo 
riginal  sons  of  the  forest,  and  among  the  Crees  the  species 
is  called   'Hah-ha-waif,  so  much  like  the  syllables  I  hare 
given  above,  that  many  might  imagine  my  additions  no  more 
than  a  version  of  the  same.     But  I  may  perhaps  be  allowed 
to  say,  that,  the  notes  I  had  taken  on   the  subject  were 
made  two  years  previous  to  the  publication  of  Dr.  Richard- 
son's Zoology,  from  whence  I  learn  this  coincidence  of  the 
name  and  sound  as  given  by  the  aborigines  of  the  north. 
This    Duck  is  no  less  known   to  the  Canadian  voyagers, 
who  have  celebrated  it  in  their  simple  effusions  by  the  name 
of  the  "Caccdwee," 

In  the  course  of  the  winter  the  Long-Tailed  Ducks  wan- 
der out  in  the  bays  and  inlets  nearly  if  not  quite,  to  the 
extremity  of  the  United  States  coasts  ;  and  in  the  spring, 
voyaging  along  the  unruffled  bosom  of  the  great  Missis- 
sippi, with  the  many  thousands  of  other  water  fowls,  which 
penetrate  by  this  route  into  the  interior,  we  also  find  among 
'the  crowding  throng,  some  small  flocks  of  the  present 
species  who  proceed  as  far  as  the  banks  of  the  Missouri.'^ 

'  m 

*  Mr.  Say. 


m 


^^■^ 


456 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


In  Spitzbergen,  Iceland,  and  along  the  grassy  shores  of 
Hudson's  Bay  contiguous  to  the  sea,  they  make  their  nests 
about  the  middle  of  June,  lining  the  interior  with  the  down 
from  their  breasts,  which  is  equally  sofl  and  elastic  with  that 
produced  by  the  Eider.  The  eggs  are  about  5,  of  a  pale 
greenish-grey,  and  with  both  ends  rather  obtuse,  they  are 
about  26  lines  long  and  18  wide.*  ■     V^  ' 

These  birds  abound  in  Greenland,  Lapland,  Russia  and 
Kamtschatka,  are  seen  about  St.  Petersburgh  ;  and  from 
October  to  April  many  flocks  pass  the  winter  in  the'  Ork- 
neys. They  are  only  accidental  visiters  on  the  great  lakes 
in  Germany  and  along  the  borders  of  the  Baltic ;  and 
are  often  seen,  but  never  in  flocks,  upon  thi  maritime  coasts 
of  Holland.  The  flesh  of  the  old  birds  is  bui  little  esteem- 
ed, yet  that  of  the  young  is  pretty  good  food. 

The  length  of  this  epecies,  varying  with  the  unequal  length  of  the 
long  tail  feathers,  is  rated  at  from  23  to  2G  inches.  One  which  I 
have  just  measured  in  winter  plumage,  gives  24  inches  ;  the  bill 
from  above,  1  inch ;  the  tarsus  1  inch  3  lines.  The  bill  black,  crossed 
near  the  extremity  by  a  broad  band  of  dull  orange.  Irids  dark  red. 
Cheeks  and  frontlet,  dull  dusky  drab  (sometimes  nearly  altogether 
white,)  tho  same  color  passing  over  the  eye,  and  joining  a  large  patch 
of  blackish-brown  on  the  side  of  the  '  neck  ;  throat,  and  rest  of  the 
neck  white.  The  crown  tufted,  and  of  a  pale  cream  color  (some- 
times wholly  white.)  Lower  part  of  the  neck,  breast,  back  and 
wings,  black.  Scapulars  and  tertiaries,  pale  bluish  or  pearly  white, 
long,  pointed,  and  falling  gracefully  over  the  wings ;  the  white  of 
the  neck  descends  an  inch  or  two  over  the  back  :  the  white  of  the 
belly  spreads  over  the  sides,  and  nearly  meets  at  the  rump.  Secon- 
daries bright  brown  forming  a  bar  or  imperfect  speculum  over  the 
wing.  Primaries,  rump  and  tail  coverts  brownish-black.  The  4 
middle  tail  feathers  black,  the  central  pair  4  to  G  inches  longer  tlian 
the  adjoining  ones,  the  rest  of  the  tail  tinged  internally  with  ash. 
Legs  and  feet,  dusky  grey. 

In  the  old  femal     the   tail  is  short,  and  its  feathers  edged  with 

*  Richardson's  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  460. 


H 


LONG-TAILED  DUCK. 


467 


y  shores  of 
1  their  nesta 
h  the  down 
ic  with  that 
i,  of  a  pale 
le,  they  are 

Elussia  and 
1 ;  and  from 
in  the'  Ork- 
great  lakes 
3altic  ;  and 
ritime  coasts 
ittle  esteem- 

\  length  of  the 
One  which  I 
iches ;  the  bill 
black,  crossed 
rids  dark  red. 
,rly  altogether 
T  a  large  patch 
ind  rest  of  the 
color  (some- 
ast,  back  and 
pearly  white, 
the  white  of 
L>  white  of  the 
ump.     Secon- 
lum  over  the 
lack.      The  4 


longei 


than 


illy  with  ash. 
Irs  edged  with 


white,  and  the  2  central  ones  are  not  lengthened.  A  apot  on  the 
throat  and  the  eye  bands  whitish-ash.  Nape,  the  fore  and  lower 
part  of  the  neck,  vent  and  abdomen,  pure  white.  Summit  of  the 
head  and  a  large  space  on  the  sides  of  the  neck  blackish-ash. 
Breast  varied  with  ash  and  brown.  Feathers  of  the  back,  scapulars, 
and  wing  coverts  black  in  the  middle,  bordered  aad  tipt  with  ashy- 
rufous  ;  the  rest  of  the  upper  plumage  sooty  brown.  The  bluish  of 
the  bill  crossed  by  a  yellowish  band.  Iris  pale  brown.  Feet  lead 
color.  Length  about  17  inches.  —  In  winter  the  middle  of  the  crown, 
and  a  spot  on  the  side  of  the  neck  is  blackish ;  a  narrow  dusky  line 
runs  along  the  throat  for  2  inches  :  the  rest  of  the  head,  and  upper 
half  of  the  neck  white,  the  lower  half  pale  cinereous  bay,  blended 
with  white.  All  the  rest  of  the  lower  parts  of  the  body,  pure  white. 
Back,  scapulars,  and  lesser  wing  coverts,  bright  ferruginous,  the 
feathers  centred  with  black,  and  interspersed  with  tints  of  whitish. 
Shoulders  of  the  wings  and  quills  black ;  lower  part  of  the  back  the 
same,  tinged  with  brown.  Tail  pale  brown  ash ;  inner  vanes  of  all 
but  the  two  middle  feathers,  white.     Legs  and  feet  dusky-slate.        » 

Summer  dress  of  the  male,  with  the  whole  upper  plumage,  the  2 
central  pairs  of  tail  feathers,  and  the  under  plumage  to  the  fore  part 
of  the  belly,  brownish-black  ;  the  lesser  quills  paler.  A  triangular 
patch  of  feathers  between  the  shoulders  and  the  scapulars  broadly 
bordered  with  rufous.  Sides  of«the  head  from  the  bill  to  the  ears 
ash-grey.  Eye  stripe,  and  posterior  under  plumage  pure  white. 
Flanks,  sides  of  the  rump,  and  lateral  tail  feathers,  white,  stained 
with  brown.  Azillaries  and  inner  wing  coverts  clove-brown.  Bill 
asin  winter.  ■  •«1\_^^j\'v:-..  f.  •,.','.  'inj  '^iiiV*^ 

In  the  trachea  of  the  male,  besides  the  labyrinth,  there  is  an  ex- 
pansion immediately  above  it  of  about  two  diameters,  this  is  flat- 
tened externally  and  covered  with  an  oblong,  thin  membrane  ; 
another  similar  fenestrate  appearance  exists  on  the  external  side  of 
the  labyrinth.  —     ■        '  •- 

•ni5*st  *':-iif   •j.vi.',:.;    u,    ■;•'   k.  <•■  :.,   -..-^  ■■■■•    'v.  j-iii  ^  ■  .T     .  a  .;»iv.. -y-wtf 
=i-*'   ;  T:-i  (<»*;      W     ..?.'<( -'rii  1,-  f;       -..mil:'     ■!■■■   xt^'',   ^-,-.  •    -    •  .  v-A- -'?;iTt 


•.;  *ii,,i»  »■    .'^  iKi-t. 


'■^»:i:3^f  •■/■U'-*i' 


■>.,,  J  \5«  .  i':- 


•JM     '1 


••■;    ,ij':t''"A^-i    i?j:.    vsth^    f-     !j->--    i<    -: 


453 


W£B-rOOTBD   BIROS. 


(  t 


■im/. 

.L    I 


■■| 


MEROANSERS.     (Merous,    Linn.) 

With  the  bill  long,  or  only  of  moderate  c'.Jiri^dnsiont,  straight, 
icmewhat  cylindric,  broader  than  high  at  the  baae,  narrow,  and  •ome- 
what  comproRaed  at  the  point;  the  edges  serrated,  and  with  the 
subulate  and  sharp  teeth  inclining  backwards ;  the  upper  mandible 
hooked  and  furnished  with  a  nail  at  the  tip.  Nostrils  lateral,  near 
til  middle  nf  the  bill,  very  small  and  pervious.  Tongue  almost 
subulate,  but  thick,  covered  with  recurved  papilln.  Fect  placed 
far  back,  robust,  and  turned  outward;  the  tibia  retracted  into  the 
abdomen ;  tarsus  much  compressed,  shorter  than  the  middle  toe ; 
webs  full  and  entire ;  hind  toe  equal  to  a  joint  of  the  middle  one, 
touching  the  ground  only  at  tip,  and  furnished  with  a  broad  mem> 
branc ;  nails  hooked.  Wings  moderate,  acute ;  1st  and  2d  prima- 
ries about  equal  and  longest.  Tail  short  and  rounded,  consisting  of 
from  16  to  20  feathers. 

The  female  and  young  differ  greatly  in  plumage  from  the  adult 
male.  They  moult  annually,  the  old  male  in  the  spring,  the  female 
and  young  in  autumn.  The  plumage  extremely  thick  and  compact. 
The  trachea  of  the  male  is  furnished  with  two  large  expansions. 

The  Mergansers  have  a  great  resemblance  to  the  Ducks ;  they 
livo  equally  in  the  water,  swim  deep  and  dive  oflen  and  with  great 
^il'ty,  proceeding  with  the  velocity  of  a  fish  under  water,  and  em- 
ploying  their  wings  in  this  element  as  if  in  the  air.  They  also  fly 
sviilly  and  for  a  considerable  time  together  in  removing  from  place 
tc  place,  and  in  the  execution  of  their  protracted  and  distant  migra- 
tions They  dwell  habitually  in  cold  countries,  where  they  pass 
the  period  of  reproduction,  and  are  only  seen  commonly  in  tempe- 
rate climaves  at  the  approach  of  winter.  The  Mergansers  are  much 
more  wild  and  untameable  than  Ducks,  and  seem  only  capable  of  sub- 
sisting in  fera  naturtB.  They  feed  principally  on  fish  and  amphibious 
reptiles.  Fro  m  the  posterior  position  of  their  feet  they  are  scarcely 
capable  of  walking,  tottering  from  side  to  side  with  the  utmost  em- 
barrassment. They  breed  on  the  ground  or  in  hollow  trees  near 
freshwaters,  retiring  for  the  purpose  oflen  far  into  the  interior ;  the 
nest  is  lined  wivh  down,  and  the  eggs  are  from  8  to  14.  The  male 
keeps  near  the  ne«)t  while  the  female  is  sitting ;  and  the  young  are 
conducted  to  the  water  as  soon  as  they  are  hatched,  but  by  the 


MEROAN8KRS. 


480 


female  parent  only.  The  malei  at  thii  leaaon  leccde  from  their 
mates,  who  are  alone  aeen  in  company  with,  and  act  as  the  pro- 
tectors of  their  brood ;  when  pursued  they  escape  by  swim* 
ming  and  diving,  and  however  driven,  the  mother  i^  every  ex* 
tremity  remains  by  her  brood,  long  unable  to  fly,  and  refuses  to  save 
herself  by  taking  to  wing.  Their  flesh  is  generally  tough  and  ill 
tasted. 

The  genus  consists  of  but  5  species.  All  the  European,  and  one 
race  peculiar  are  found  in  North  Ai'  r^rioa,  and  there  is  another 
species  on  the  Southern  side  ol'  the  '  <       continent. 


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Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  MSSO 

(716)  S72-4S03 


yr^-^m^imm^'iyimiKJ^' 


11 


GOOSANDER. 


(Mergus  merganser,  Lin.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  828.  sp.  1.  WiLsoir. 
Till.  p.  68.  pi.  68.  fig.  1.  [male]  and  3.  [female.]  Bonap.  Synops. 
No.  347.  Tehh.  ii.  p.  881.  Rich,  and  Swains,  ii.  p.  461.  Goos- 
ander, or  Merganser,  Penn.  Brit.  Zool.  p.  147.  t.  JV.  Ibid.  Arct. 
Zool.2.  No.  465.  Le  Harle,  Buff.  PI.  Enlum.  951.  Mergus  castor, 
Ghel.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  sp.  2.  [female].  Le  Harle  femelle,  !^uff.  Ois. 
viii.  p.  236.  Id.  PI.  £nlum.  953.  Dun-Diver,  or  Sparling  Fowl^ 
Lath.  Syn.  vi.  p.  420,  421.  Jl.  [female.}  Phil.  Museum,  No.  2932.) 

Sf.  Charact.  —  Speculum  white,  uninterrupted ;  bill  and  feet  red ; 
nostrils  about  the  middle  of  the  bill.  —  Male  black,  neck  and 
beneath  white ;  the  head  tufled,  purplish-green.  Female  cinere- 
ous, beneath  white ;  head  rufous,  tufled. 

The  Goosander  inhabits  the  remote  northerta  regions  of 
both  continents,  being  seen  during  summer  on  the  borders 
of  grassy  lakes  and  streams  throughout  the  whole  of  the  fur 
countries,  and  are  among  the  latest  of  their  tribe  in  autumn 
to  seek  an  asylum  in  milder  climates.  Th^y  are  said  to 
breed  in  every  latitude  in  the  Russian  empire,  but  mostly  in 
the  north.  They  are  common  also  in  Kamtschatka,  and 
extend  through  northern  Europe,  to  the  wintry  shores  of 


'../  . 


0OO8ANDBR. 


461 


Iceland  and  Greenland.  Many,  however  pass  the  breeding 
season  in  the  Orkneys,  and  these  scarcely  ever  find  any  ne- 
cessity to  migrate.  They  are  seen  in  small  families  or  com- 
panies of  six  or  eight  in  the  United  States  in  winter,  and 
frequent  the  sea  shores,  lakes  and  rivers,  continually  diving 
in  quest  of  their  food  which  consists  principally  of  fish  and 
shelly  mollusca.  They  are  also  very  gluttonous  and  vora- 
cious, like  the  Aloatross  sometimes  swallowing  a  fish  too 
large  to  enter  whole  into  the  stomach,  which  therefore  lodges 
in  the  oesophagus  till  the  lower  part  is  digested  before  the 
remainder  can  follow.  The  roughness  of  the  tongue,  cov- 
ered with  incurved  projections,  and  the  form  of  the  bent 
serratures  which  edge  the  bill,  appear  all  purposely  contrived 
with  reference  to  its  piscatory  habits.  In  the  course  of  the 
season  they  migrate  probably  to  the  extremity  of  the  Union, 
being  seen  in  winter  in  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri,  from 
whence  at  the  approach  of  spring  they  migrate  north  or  into 
the  interior  to  breed. 

The  Goosander  is  seen  to  frequent  the  coast  only  in  the 
depth  of  winter ;  and  in  its  remote  resorts  in  the  north  it 
fears  the  cold  much  less  than  the  ice  ;  as  in  that  condition 
its  supply  of  food  is  necessarily  cut  off.  According  to  Pen- 
nant, one  was  seen  in  Helsingeland  in  the  month  of  Jan- 
uary, during  a  period  of  the  most  intense  coM.  It  is  said 
to  lay  13  to  14  whitish  eggs,  almost  equally  pointed  at  both 
ends,  nesting  sometimes  in  hollow  trees,  on  the  ground,  or 
in  the  shelter  of  grass  and  bushes.  The  extent  of  the 
breeding  range  in  this  species,  as  among  many  other  retir- 
ing birds,  is  yet  far  from  being  sufficiently  ascertained. 
Early  in  the  month  of  May  (1832),  while  descending  the 
^usquehannah  near  to  Dunnstown,  a  few  miles  below  the 
gorge  of  the  Alleghanys,  through  which  that  river  meanders 
near  the  foot  of  the  Bald  Eagle  Mountain,  G.  Lyman,  Esq! 
ar  d  myself  observed  near  the  head  of  a  little  bushy  island, 
39» 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


I 


some  Wild  Duck,  as  we  thought,  with  her  brood  making  off 
round  a  point  which  closed  the  view.  On  rowing  to  the 
spot,  the  wily  parent  had  still  continued  her  retreat,  and 
we  gave  chace  to  the  party,  which  with  all  the  exertions 
that  could  be  made  in  rowing,  still  kept  at  a  respectable 
distance  before  us.  We  now  perceived  that  these  diminu- 
tive possessors  of  their  natal  island  were  a  female  Goose- 
ander  or  Dun-Diver,  with  a  small  but  active  little  brood  of  8 
young  ones.  On  pushing  the  chase  for  near  half  an  hour, 
the  young,  becoming  somewhat  fatigued,  drew  around 
their  natural  protector  who  now  and  then  bore  them  along 
crowding  on  her  back.  At  length,  stealing  nearly  from  our 
sight,  as  the  chase  relaxed,  the  mother  landed  at  a  distance 
on  the  gravelly  shore,  which  being  nearly  of  her  own  grey 
color  and  that  of  her  family,  served  for  some  time,  as  a 
complete  concealment.  When  we  approached  again,  however, 
they  took  to  the  water,  and  after  a  second  attempt,  in  which 
the  young  strove  to  escape  by  repeated  divings,  we  suc- 
ceeded in  cutting  off  the  retreat  of  one  of  the  family,  which 
was  at  length  taken  from  behind  a  flat  boat  under  which  it 
had  finally  retreated  to  hide.  We  now  examined  the  little 
stranger,  and  found  it  to  be  a  young  Merganser  of  this 
species,  not  bigger  than  the  egg  of  a  goose,  and  yet  already 
a  most  elegant  epitome  of  its  female  parent,  generally  grey, 
with  the  rufous  head  and  neck,  and  the  rudiments  of  a 
growing  crest.  After  suffering  itself  to  be  examined  with 
great  calmness,  and  without  any  apparent  fear,  we  restored  it 
to  its  more  natural  element,  and,  at  the  first  effort,  this  little 
diminutive  of  its  species  '^  under  the  water  like  an  arrow, 
and  coming  out  to  the  sm  only  at  considerable  distances, 
we  soon  lost  sight  of  it,  making  good  its  aquatic  retreat  in% 
quest  of  the  parent.  On  inquiry,  we  learnt  from  the  tavern 
keeper,  that,  for  several  years  past  a  nest  or  brood  of  these 
birds  had  annually  been  seen  near  this  solitary  and  seclu- 

,     -   ■        ^m 


RED-BBBABTBD   MBROANSER. 


468 


ded  island.  In  siich  situations,  probably,  escaping  the 
observance  of  man,  many  of  these  birds  spread  through 
the  country  and  breed,  from  Pennsylvania  to  the  remotest 
parts  of  the  Canadian  fur  countries. 

The  male  (Goosander  is  about  81  inches  in  length ;  the  female  25. 
In  the  male  the  bill  above,  is  2  inches  4  lines ;  the  tarsus  2  inches. 
The  males  vary  4  inches  and  more  in  length.  In  the  old  male,  the 
head  and  upper  part  of  the  neck  is  of  a  greenish-black  with  reflec- 
tions. Lower  part  of  the  neck,  breast,  vent,  abdomen,  wing  covert* 
and  scapulars  farthest  from  the  body,  pure  white,  but  shaded  elegant- 
ly with  yellowish  rose  color  upon  the  lower  parts  (which  fades 
nearly  away  in  dried  specimens.)  Top  of  the  back  and  scapulars 
nearest  the  body  deep  black.  Humeral  wing  coverts  blackish; 
greater  coverts  fringed  with  black.  Back  and  tail  ash.  Bill  ver- 
milion red  on  the  sides,  but  black  above  and  below.  Iris  reddish- 
brown,  sometimes  red.     Legs  vermilion. 

In  the  female  the  crest,  mostly  occipital,  consists  of  long  and  slen- 
der feathers ;  the  head  and  upper  part  of  the  neck  rufous-brown. 
Throat  white.  Lower  part  of  the  neck,  breast,  flanks,  and  thighs, 
whitish-ash.  Vent  and  abdomen  yellowish- white ;  all  the  upper 
parts  dark  ash.  Speculum  white,  without  transverse  bands.  Bill 
dull  red.  Iris  brown.  Feet  yellowish-red;  the  webs  cinereous 
red. 

The  young  of  the  year  scarcely  differ  from  the  female.  '" 


■    Nj 


RED-BREASTED  MERGANSER. 

(Mergus  serrator,  Linn.  Gmel.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  sp.  4.  Wilson,  viii. 
p.  91.  pi.  69.  fig.  2.  [male.]  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  348.  Temm.  ii, 
p.  884.  Rich,  and  Swains.  North  Zool.  ii.  p.  462.  Red-Breasted 
Merganser,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  466.  Edwards.  Glean,  t.  95.^ 
[male.]  Le  Harle  Huppi,  Buff.  PI.  Enlum.  207.  Phil.  Museum, 
No.  2936.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Speculum  white,  crossed  with  black ;  Bill  and  feet 
orange*;  nostrils  near  the  base  of  the  bill ;  a  long  slender  pendent 
crest.  —  Male  black,  neck  and  beneath  white;   head  and  crest 


• 


464 


WEB-FOOTED   BIEDS. 


\ 


purplish-green.    Female  cinereous,  the  head  rufous ;  the  speculum 
crossed  by  an  ash-colored  band. 

This  Merganser  is  again  another  general  inhabitant  of 
the  whole  northern  hemisphere,  spreading  itself  in  the  sum- 
mer season  throughout  the  remote  fur  countries  and  western 
interior,  from  whence,  at  the  approach  and  during  the  con- 
tinuance of  winter,  they  migrate  towards  the  sea  coast  in 
quest  of  open  water  and  the  necessary  means  of  subsistence. 
The  Red-Breasted  Mergansers,  equally  common  in  Europe 
as  in  North  America,  are  seen  as  far  as  Iceland,  breed  in 
Greenland,  and  inhabit  most  parts  of  the  Russian  domin- 
ions, particularly  the  great  rivers  of  Siberia,  and  the  waters 
of  lake  Baikal.  In  the  northern  parts  of  Britain  they  pass 
the  period  of  reproduction,  as  on  Loch  Mari  in  the  county 
of  Ross,  and  in  the  isle  of  Hay.  In  Sweden  it  is  observed 
to  arrive  later  than  the  preceding.  As  winter  passengers 
they  abound  on  the  coasts  of  Holland,  and  sometimes  visit 
the  marshes  of  the  interior.  On  the  borders  of  the  Med- 
iterranean they  also  migrate  as  far  as  Venice,  but  are  rare 
in  France.  They  arrive  about  Hudson's  Bay  in  June,  as 
soon  as  the  ice  breaks  up,  and  make  their  nests  immedi- 
ately after,  of  withered  grass,  and  alining  of  down  or  feath- 
ers from  their  breasts  :  the  eggs  are  generally  8  in  number, 
sometimes  as  many  as  13,  of  a  bluish-white  and  about  the 
size  of  those  of  a  common  Duck.  The  young  are  at  first  of 
a  dirty  brown,  like  young  goslings.   -:-•-?;->.,-;    , 

The  breeding  range  of  this  species  is  no  less  extensive 
than  the  preceding.  According  to  Audubon,  they  nest  in 
rank  weeds  on  the  borders  of  lakes,  in  Maine  and  other 
parts  of  the  Union ;  and  Mr.  Say  observed  them  on  Lake 
Michigan  in  42°,  on  the  7th  of  June,  assembled  there  no 
doubt  to  pass  the  summer. 

This  species  like  the  rest  of  the  family  dives  well,  and 
dexterously  eludes  the  sportsman  when  wounded,  moving 


# 


HOODED    MERGANSER. 


46ft 


about  often  in  the  greatest  silence,  with  its  bill  only  elevated 
above  the  wat^for  respiration.     In  the  winter,  while  here, 
they  frequent  t*  bays  and  estuaries  as  well  as  fresh  waters, 
and  feed  as  usual  on  fry  and  shell-fish. 


The  length  of  the  Red-Breasted  Merganser  appears  to  vary 
from  21  to  25^  inches  in  the  male  ',  the  female  is  more  than  4  inches 
shorter.  The  bill  above,  in  the  male  is  3  inches  4||  lines;  in  the 
female  2  inches.  Tarsus  1  inch  10  lines ;  in  the  female  1  inch  7 
lines.  In  the  male  the  head  is  furnished  with  a  long  crest  of  slender 
feathers,  which  together  with  a  part  of  the  neck  is  black,  glossed 
with  green ;  the  ueck  below,  pure  white,  ending  in  a  broad  space  of 
brown  approaching  to  buff  spotted  with  black,  which  extends  over 
the  lower  part  of  the  neck  and  sides  of  the  breast.  Shoulders,  back 
and  tertiaries,  deep  velvety  black,  the  first  marked  with  a  number  of 
roundish  white  spots.  Scapulars  white.  Wing  coverts  mostly 
white,  crossed  by  two  narrow  bands  of  black.  Primaries  black; 
secondaries  white ;  several  of  the  latter  edged  with  black.  Lower 
part  of  the  back,  rump,  and  tail  coverts,  grey  speckled  with  black. 
&ides  under  the  wings  waved  with  black.  Belly  and  vent  white. 
Tail  dusky  ash.  Legs  and  feet  brownish-orange.  Bill  orange  on 
the  sides  and  beneath ;  dark  above.    Irids  red. 

The  female  is  under  two  feet  long,  similar  with  that  of  the  pre- 
ceding  species,  but  differing  in  the  form  of  the  line  of  junction  of 
the  plumage  of  the  forehead  with  the  bill,  and  in  the  black  bar  cross- 
ing the  speculum  on  the  bases  of  the  secondaries  and  extreme  tips  of 
the  greater  coverts.    It  is  also  several  inches  smaller. 


i>''i?%w". 


,*,t.j^x  /;*i.'.  .■.■L-'^h;y'f'tiVi,iii&$, 


^;?ii;  HOODED  MERGANSER.  :i 

(Mergus  cucullaitis,  Linn.  Lath.  Ind.  Orn._  p.  830.  sp.  5.  Wilsow. 
viii.  p.  79.  pi.  69.  fig.  1.  [male.]  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  349.  Rich. 
and  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  463.  Hooded  Merganser,  Penn. 
Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  467.  The  Round-crested  Duck,  Edwards,  pi. 
860.  Catesby.  1.  pi.  94.  Harle  covronrU,  Buff.  PI.  Enlum.  985. 
[male.]  and  936.  [female.]  Phil.  Museum,  No.  2930.  [male.]  and 
2981.  [female.]) 


•   ; 


466 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


{ 


Br.  Charact.  —  Speculum  white,  oroMed  with  black ;  bill  blaokidu 
orange;  feet  fleah-color,  a  large  circular  crest.  —  Male  black, 
beneath    white ;    crest    black,   white     on    eaw  side.      FemaU 

"  footj-brown,  beneath  white^';  crest  ashy-ferruginous,  without  the 
white. 

This  elegant  species  is  peculiar  to  North  America,  and 
inhabits  the  interior  and  northern  parts  of  the  fur  countries 
to  their  utmost  limits.  It  is  also  among  the  latest  of  the 
ANATiDiE  to  quit  those  cold  and  desolate  regions.  It 
makes  a  nest  of  withered  grass  and  feathers  in  retired  and 
unfrequented  places,  by  the  grassy  borders  of  rivers  and 
lakes.  According  to  Audubon,  it  also  breeds  around  the 
lagoons  of  the  Ohio,  and  on  the  great  North- Western  Lakes 
of  the  interior.  On  the  River  St.  Peters,  in  the  45th  par- 
allel, Mr.  Say  observed  them  on  the  18th  of  July,  no  doubt 
in  the  same  place  where  they  had  passed  the  rest  of  the 
summer.  At  Hudson's  Bay,  where  they  arrive  about  the 
end  of  May,  they  are  said  to  nest  close  to  the  borders  of 
lakes  and  lay  6  white  eggs.  The  young  are  at  first  yellow* 
ish  and  begin  to  fly  in  July.  The  Hairy  Head,  as  this 
species  is  sometimes  called,  is  rarely  seen  but  in  fresh  waters 
and  lakes,  approaching  the  sea  only  in  winter,  when  its 
favorite  haunts  are  blocked  up  with  ice.  It  delights  in  the 
woody  interior,  and  traces  its  way  up  still  creeks,  and  some- 
times visits  the  mill  ponds,  perpetually  diving  for  small  fish 
and  insects  in  the  manner  of  the  Red-Breasted  Merganser. 
In  the  course  of  the  winter  they  migrate  as  far  south  as 
Mexico,  are  very  common  throughout  the  whole  winter 
in  the  Mississippi,  and  are  rendered  very  conspicuous  by  the 
high  circular  and  pUrticolored  crest  which  so  gracefully 
crowns  the  top  of  the  head. 

The  length  of  the  male  varies  it  appears,  from  18  to  20  Inches. 
The  length  of  the  bill  above  in  the  same  sex  is  1  inch  8  lines ;  the 
tanus  1  inch  3  lines.    The  top  of  the  head,  dorsal  plumage,  upper 


SMEW,   OR    WHITE   NUN. 


467 


leMer  wing  coverta,  quills  and  tail,  blackish-brown.  Sides  of  tlw 
head,  neck,  bars  on  the  shoulders,  scapulars,  tertiaries,  and  bases  of 
the  secondaries  and  greater  coverts,  greenish-black,  firoad  bar  firom 
behind  the  eye  through  the  middle  of  the  crest,  alternate  bars  on  the 
shoulder,  tips  of  the  greater  coverts,  exterior  borders  of  the  seeon* 
daries,  central  stripes  on  the  tertiaries,  and  under  plumage,  white. 
Flanks  finely  undulated  with  yellowish-brown  and  black.  Crest  on 
the  crown  and  nape  long.  Wings  2i  inches  shorter  than  the  tail. 
Bill  blackish-red.  Tail  pointed,  consisting  of  90  feathers.  Legs  and 
feet  flesh  colored,  the  claws  large  and  stout.  The  trachea  is  fur- 
nished with  a  small  labyrinth. 

In  the  young  the  upper  plumage  is  browner ;  and  the  white  spec- 
ulum and  stripes  on  the  tertiaries  less  perfect  than  in  the  adult.  No 
black  and  white  bars  on  the  shoulder,  nor  white  band  behind  the  eye. 
The  head,  neck,  and  upper  parts  of  the  breast,  soiled  pale  brown, 
with  white  edgings  on  the  breast.  ■  Chin  whitish.  Bill  black,  orange 
beneath.    The  crest  scarcely  visible.  '" 


"Hi'JV  r»iv/. 


THE  SMEW,  OR  WHITE  NUN. 


(Mergus  albellus,  Linn.  Lath.  Ind.  2.  sp.  6.  Wilson,  yiii.  p.  126. 
pi.  71.  fig.  4.  [male.]  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  350.  Temh.  Man. 
d'Orn.  ii.  p.  887.  The  Smew,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  261.  No. 
468.  Le  Petit  Harle  Huppi,  ou  La  Piette,  Buff.  Ois.  viii.  p.  275. 
Ib.  pi.  Enlum.  449.  Ib.  La  Piette  femdle,  PI.  Enlum.  450.  Mergua 
miniUus,  Linn.  Faun.  Suec.  No.  138.  [female].  Lath.  Ind.  sp.  7. 
M.asiaticus,  S.  G.  Gmel.  Reis.  ii.  p.  188.  t.  20.  [ib  '.^  JIf.  steJ- 
lotus,  Brdnn.  Om.  Boreal.  No.  98.  M.  pannonicvs;  Scopoli. 
Ann.  1.  No.  92.  Phil.  Museum,  No.  2944.  [an  European  spe- 
cimen !]) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Speculum  black,  crossed  with  white  :  bill  and  feet 
bluish.  —  Male  white,  varied  with  black;  the  crown  white. 
Female  cinereous,  beneath  white ;  crown  reddish-brown. 

As  a  native  of  America  this  appears  to  be  a  very  doubt> 
ful  species.  Pennant  gives  it  on  the  authority  of  a  specimen 
sent  to  Mrs.  Blackburn  (of  Orford  in  Lancashire)  from 


468 


WEB-POOTED   BIRDS.   ^ 


New  York.  It  is  unnoticed  by  Vieillot,  is  very  rare  in  the 
Middle  States  to  the  Prince  of  Mussignano,  as  it  was  to 
Wilson  on  the  shores  of  New  Jersey :  but  the  latter  adds, 
probably  on  mere  report,  that  it  was  more  common  on  the 
coast  of  New  England  and  in  some  of  the  lakes  in  the  state 
of  New  York ;  but  in  all  our  researches  we  have  never  met 
with  it  or  heard  of  it  either  in  Maine  or  Massachusetts.  It 
was  never  met  with  by  Richardson  or  the  other  naturalists  in 
the  fur  countries  or  in  Arctic  America ;  and  was  not  found 
in  Labrador  by  the  indefatigable  Audubon  ;  from  all  which 
we  are  sufficiently  led  to  conclude,  that  the  Smew  is  in 
America  little  more  than  a  straggler.  Yet  in  Europe  it  ex- 
tends its  summer  migrations  as  far  as  Iceland ;  and  in  the 
Russian  empire  frequents  the  same  districts  as  the  Goose- 
ander,  and  migrates  with  them  and  several  kinds  of  ducks 
up  the  Wolga  as  early  as  February.  In  winter  it  is  much 
more  common  in  Britian  than  any  of  the  other  Mergansers. 
It  is  also  common  in  Germany,  Holland,  France,  and  de- 
scends as  low  as  Carniola,  Italy  and  Tinos  in  the  Archipe- 
lago in  the  course  of  the  winter.  The  females  and  young 
which  visit  the  lakes  of  Switzerland,  are  called  Ice  Ducks, 
as  they  do  not  appear  there  until  the  hard  frosts  commence. 
They  are  active  divers,  and  feed  on  the  same  prey  as  the 
preceding  species.  They  nest  in  the  arctic  regions,  on  the 
borders  of  lakes  and  rivers,  laying  from  8  to  12  whitish 

eggs.  :.iffft^i '  ;«i»*7"  . n-»^m   hW'^''' 

The  Smew  is  about  17  inches  in  length.  In  the  nude  there  is  a 
large  patch  of  greenish-black  on  either  side  of  the  bill ;  a  similar, 
but  longitudinal  one  upon  the  occiput.  A  tufled  crest.  The  neck, 
scapulars,  lesser  wing  coverts,  and  all  the  lower  parts,  pure  white. 
Top  of  the  back,  the  two  crescents  advancing  upon  the  sides  of  the 
breast,  and  the  borders  of  the  scapulars,  deep  black.  Tail  cinereous. 
Flanks  and  thighs  varied  with  cinereous  2ig-zag  lines.  Bill,  tarsus 
uid  toes  bluish-ash ;  the  webs  black.    Iris  brown. 

In  tite/anale  the  lummit  of  the  head,  cheeks  and  occiput  i^  of 


■Vrt 


PELICANS. 


460 


a  rufoui-brown.  The  throat,  upper  part  of  the  neck,  vent  and  abdo- 
men white.  Lower  part  of  the  neck,  breaat,  flanks,  and  rump  pale 
aah.  Upper  part*  and  tail  very  dark  aah.  Winga  varied  with  white, 
cinereous,  and  black.    Length  about  16  inches. 

The  young  of  the  first  year  resembles  the  female.  The  males  at 
the  eompletion  of  one  year  are  distinguished  by  the  small  blackish 
fe\th-;rs  which  form  a  large  patch  at  the  sides  of  the  bill;  by  some 
whitish  and  white  feathers  sprinkled  upon  the  head  and  occiput. 
The  upper  part  of  the  back  is  also  varied  with  black  and  atih  colored 
feathers ;  and  there  are  indices  of  the  3  black  crescents  upon  the 
sides  of  the  breast. 


PELICANS.     (Pelecanus,  Linn.) 

In  these  large  and  remarkable  birds  the  bill  is  very  long,  broad, 
straight  and  much  depressed ;  the  upper  mandible  flattened,  seamed 
on  each  side,  the  ridge  distinct,  ending  in  a  compressed  and  strongly 
hooked  nail ;  the  lower  mandible  broader,  formed  of  two  branches, 
uniting  at  the  extremity,  and  supporting  a  naked  membrane  distend- 
ing into  a  large  pouch.  Nostrils  in  the  furrow,  basal,  linear,  scarcely 
distinguishable.  Tongue  very  small  and  obtuse.  Face  and  cheeks 
naked.  The  feet  nearly  central,  short  and  robust:  tibia  naked 
below ;  the  whole  4  toes  connected  by  a  membrane,  3  forward,  the 
hind  toe  shortest ;  webs  broad,  full  and  entire.  The  nail  of  the  mid- 
dle toe  entire  or  pectinated  on  its  edge.  Wings  moderate,  ample  ; 
the  2d  primary  longest;  secondaries  extending  to  the  primaries. 
Tail  rounded,  of  20  feathers. 

The  female  similar  to  the  male  in  plumage  ;  the  young  differing 
much  from  the  adult  for  along  period.  The  moult  is  anniial.  The 
general  color  of  these  very  large  birds  is  white  or  cinereous. 

The  Pelicans  live  indifferently  ugon  rivers,  lakes,  or  on  the  sea 
coasts,  continuing  their  flight  oflen  for  a  long  period,  and  occasion- 
ally rising  in  the  atmosphere  to  great  elevations;  they  usually,  how- 
ever, fly  low  and  heavily,  in  a  waving  and  almost  serpentine  courac. 
They  swim  well ;  and  though  they  can  perch  on  trees  with  a  firm  hold, 
they  generally  prefer  the  bqsom  of  the  water  or  the  bare  ground. 
Sometimes  when  aroused  by  the  calls  of  hunger  they  skim  the  surface 
of  the  water,  or  balancing  themselves  in  the  air  at  a  moderate  elevation  ^ 
40 


470 


WEB-POOTBD  BIRD!. 


with  a  load  pluh,  pounee  headlong  on  their  pray.  In  the  morninf 
and  OToning  theie  email  aseociated  floeka  are  eeen  thiu  engaged  in 
flahing  until  their  pooch  and  oeaophagna  ia  aoffloiently  gorged,  they 
then  retire  to  rooki,  bare  ehoala,  or  doie  on  the  water  while  digeitiag 
their  glnttonoua  meal.  At  thia  time,  aware  of  their  imbeoility,  and 
the  diffloolty  with  whioh  they  riae  when  punned,  they  nanaUy 
eeleot  the  moat  eoUtary  or  inaulated  retreata.  They  are  exceedingly 
▼oraoiona ;  the  rery  emblem  of  gluttony,  and  tiieir  roice  ii  a  mere 
hoane,  hollow  and  indiatinct  eound,  lometimea  bordering  on  a  grunt. 
They  are  said  oooMionally  to  exhibit  lome  addreia  in  the  capture  of 
their  prey,  the  whole  company  uniting  and  encircling  a  piece  of 
water,  beat  with  their  wings  near  the  surface,  until  the  confused  and 
crowding  fish  of  the  shoal  come  more  conveniently  within  their 
grasp.  They  breed  on  rocks  near  the  water,  generally  choosing 
places  of  the  most  difficult  access  and  lay  from  2  to  4  eggs. 

The  Pelicans  are  spread  over  all  the  warm,  temperate,  and  almost 
firigid  climates  of  the  globe  ;  and  one  of  the  species  may  be  eonsid* 
ered  as  a  cosmopolite.    The  species  are  about  five. 


Si?? 


fo' 


\  ' 


i::     " 


In  th«  moniiiif 
iiiM  engftged  ia 
ay  gorged,  they 
r  while  digeitiiiff 

imbecility,  Mid 
I,  they  natudlj 
are  exoeedingly 

Toice  ie  a  mere 
iring  on  a  gnmt. 
jn  the  capture  of 
iling  a  piece  of 
he  confuaed  and 
tly  within  their 
lerally  chooeing 
4eggf. 

rate,  and  almoit 
I  may  be  conaid* 


i 


r^ 


PELICAN. 

(PeUeanus  onocrotalus,  LiNif.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  883.  Boitap.  By- 
nops.  No.  351.  Rich,  and  SwAiirs.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  472.  Timm. 
Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  891.  Oreat  Pelican,  Pknh.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p. 
306.  No.  305.  Edwards,  Olean.  pi.  92.  Le  Piliean,  Bvrr  Oil. 
Tiii.  p.  282.  t.  25.  Ibid.  PI.  Enlom.  87.  [adult.]  Le  Piliean  de» 
PhUippirus,  BcFF.  PI.  Enlum.  963.  [young.]  Peleeantufusau,  and 
P.  manillmsis,  Gmzl.  and  Lath,  alio  the  young.  Phil.  Muienmy 
No ) 

8p.  Charact.  —  Middle  nail  entire ;  primaries  black ;  the  first  much 
longer  than  the  fifUi. — Mult  white,  tinged  with  rose  color;  a 
■lender  nuchal  crest.  Young  whitish-grey ;  back  and  wings  dark 
ash  color. 

The  Pelican,  the  largest  of  web-footed  water  fowl,  known 
from  the  earliest  times,  has  long  held  a  fabulous  celebrity 


•v  -'■•  '  '^ 


'>-'%»_.A- 


472 


1 

i 


.  I 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


for  a  maternal  tenderness  that  went  so  far  as  to  give  nour- 
ishment to  its  brood  at  the  expense  of  its  own  blood.  Its 
industry  and  success  as  a  fisher,  at  this  time,  allows  of  a 
more  natural  and  grateful  aliment  for  its  young,  and  pressing 
the  well  stored  pouch  to  its  breast,  it  regurgitates  the  con- 
tents before  them,  without  staining  its  immaculate  robe  with 
a  wound. 

If  indeed,  authors  do  not  include  more  than  a  single  spe- 
cies in  the  P.  onocrotalus,  no  bird  wanders  so  widely  or 
inhabits  such  a  diversity  of  climates  as  the  Common  Pelican. 
In  the  cooler  parts  of  Europe  it  is  however  seldom  seen, 
being  observed  in  France,  England,  and  Switzerland,  only 
as  a  very  rare  straggler.  It  is  likewise  uncommon  ip  the 
north  of  Germany,  though  great  numbers  oipcur  oh  the 
banks  of  the  Danube.  This  resort  and  thatof  the  Stry- 
mon,  also  famous  for  its  Swans,  is  noticed  by  Aristotle. 
They  are  found  in  Red  Russia,  Lithuania;;  Volhinia,  Podo- 
lia  and  Pokutia,  but  are  unknown  in  the  horthern  parts  of 
the  Muscovian  empire,  being  seldom  met  with  as  far  as  the 
Siberian  lakes,  yet  are  observed  about  that  of  Baikal.  In 
the  old  world  the  Pelicans  seem  to  affect  more  the  warm 
than  cold  climates.  Along  the  Mediterranean,  we  find 
them  in  the  island  of  Majorca,  the  lakes  of  Mantua  and 
Orbitello.  In  the  time  of  Martial  they  were  common  in  the 
territory  of  Ravenna  ;  and  exist  in  Asia  Minor,  in  Greece, 
and  on  the  Propontis,  and  the  Black  and  Caspian  seas.  Be- 
lon  observed  them  at  sea,  on  their  passage  between  Rhodes 
and  Alexandria ;  and  he  afterwards  saw  them  in  flight  on 
the  confines  of  Arabia  and  Palestine.  The  lakes  of  Judea 
and  of  Egypt,  the  banks  of  the  Nile  in  winter,  and  those  of  the 
Strymon  in  summer,  seen  from  the  heights,  appear  whitened 
by  flocks  of  Pelicans.  They  are  likewise  common  in  Afri- 
ca, on  the  Senegal  and  the  Gambia,  as  well  as  at  Loanga, 
and  on  the  coasts  of  Angola,  Sierra  Leone,  and  Guinea. 


il 


PELICAN. 


473 


as  to  give  nour- 
3wn  blood.  Its 
ne,  allows  of  a 
ig,  and  pressing 
gitates  the  con- 
sulate robe  with 

lan  a  single  spc- 
rs  so  widely  or 
bmmon  Pelican. 
Br  seldom  seen, 
yitzerland,  only 
[Common  i|i  the 
s  o^cur  oh  the 
hafcof  the  Stry- 
ed  by  Aristotle. 
Volhinia,  Podo- 
orthern  parts  of 
i^ith  as  far  as  the 
of  Baikal.     In 
more  the  warm 
ranean,  we  find 
of  Mantua  and 
common  in  the 
mor,  in  Greece, 
spian  seas.     Be- 
between  Rhodes 
lem  in  flight  on 
lakes  of  Judea 
and  those  of  the 
appear  whitened 
;ommon  in  Afri- 
1  as  at  Loanga, 
le,  and  Guinea. 


i 


They  occur  at  Madagascar,  at  Siam,  in  China,  the  isle  of 
Sunda,  and  at  the  Phillippines,  especially  in  the  fisheries  of 
the  great  lake  of  Manilla.  They  are  sometimes  met  with 
at  sea,  and  have  been  seen  in  the  remote  islands  of  the  In- 
dian Ocean.  Captain  Cook  observed  them  likewise  in  New 
Holland. 

In  America  Pelicans  are  found  in  the  North  Pacific, 
on  the  coast  of  California  and  New  Albion ;  and  fi'om  the 
Antilles  and  Terra  Firma,  the  isthmus  of  Panama  and  the 
bay  of  Campeachy,  as  far  as  Louisiana,  and  Missouri. 
They  are  very  rarely  seen  along  the  coast  of  the  Atlantic, 
but  stragglers  have  been  killed  in  the  Delaware,  and  they 
are  known  to  breed  in  Florida.  In  all  the  fur  countries  they 
are  met  with  up  to  the  61st  parallel  of  northern  latitude. 
Indeed,  in  these  remote  and  desolate  regions  they  are  nu- 
merous, but  seem  to  have  no  predilection  for  the  sea  coast, 
seldom  coming  within  two  hundred  miles  of  Hudson's  Bay. 
They  there,  according  to  Richardson,  deposit  their  eggs 
usually  on  small  rocky  islands,  on  the  banks  of  cascades 
where  they  can  scarcely  be  approached,  but  still  are  by  no 
means  shy.  They  live  together  generally  in  flocks  of  from 
6  to  14,  and  fly  low  and  heavily,  sometimes  abreast,  at 
others  in  an  oblique  line ;  and  they  are  oflen  seen  to  pass 
close  over  a  building,  or  within  a  few  yards  of  a  party  of 
men,  without  exhibiting  any  signs  of  fear.  For  the  purpose 
of  surprising  their  prey,  they  haunt  eddies  near  water-falls, 
and  devour  great  quantities  of  carp  and  other  fish.  They 
can  only  swallow  apparently,  when  opening  the  mouth  side- 
ways and  somewhat  upwards  like  the  Shark.  When  gorged 
with  food,  they  doze  on  the  water,  or  on  some  sand  shoal 
projecting  into  or  surrounded  by  it,  where  they  remain 
a  great  part  of  their  time  in  gluttonous  inactivity  digesting 
their  overgorged  meal.  At  such  times  they  may  be  easily 
captured,  as  they  have  then  great  difficulty  in  starting 
40* 


-..-'«^'.JB^t»M^  ■•'« 


^rfttW*^" 


474 


1 


A  \ 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


to  flight,  particularly  when  the  pouch  is  loaded  with  fish. 
Though  they  can  probably  perch  on  trees,  which  I  have  never 
seen  them  attempt,  they  are  generally  on  the  wing,  on  the 
ground,  or  in  their  favorite  element. 

In  the  old  continent,  the  Pelican  is  said  to  nest  on  the 
ground  in  an  excavation  near  to  the  water,  laying  2  or  3, 
and  rarely  4  eggs,  which  are  pure  white,  and  of  nearly 
equal  thickness  at  both  ends.  Their  nesting  in  deserts  re- 
mote from  water,  and  the  story  of  the  parents  bringing 
water  for  their  young  in  the  pouch,  in  such  quantities  as  to 
afford  drink  for  camels  and  wild  beasts,  appears  only  one  of 
those  extravagant  fictions,  or  tales  of  travellers  invented  to 
gratify  the  love  of  the  marvellous.  Yet  so  general  is  the 
belief  in  the  truth  of  this  improbable  relation  that  the  Egyp- 
tians style  it  the  Camel  of  the  river,  and  the  Persians,  To- 
cab^  or  the  Water-Carrier.  The  pouch  of  the  Pelican  is 
however  very  capacious,  and  besides  drowning  all  attempts 
at  distinct  voice,  it  gives  a  most  uncouth,  unwieldy,  and 
grotesque  figure  to  the  bird  with  which  it  is  associated. 
The  French  very  justly  nickname  them  Grand-gosiers,  or 
Great-throats;  and  as  this  monstrous  enlargement  of  the 
gullet  is  capable  of  holding  a  dozen  quarts  of  water,  an 
idea  may  be  formed  of  the  quantity  of  fish  it  can  scoop, 
when  let  loose  among  a  shoal  of  pilchards  or  other  fish, 
which  they  pursue  in  the  course  of  their  migrations. 

The  Pelican  appears  to  attain  to  a  great  age.  According 
to  Culmann,  in  Gesner,  a  tame  one  in  possession  of  the  em- 
peror Maximillian,  which  is  said  to  have  followed  him  with 
the  army,  lived  to  the  age  of  fourscore. 

It  is  remarkable,  that  while  the  Pelican  of  the  Atlantic 
and  the  Pacific,  habitually  frequents  the  ocean,  that  which 
so  generally  inhabits  North  America,  is  rarely  seen  on  the 
sea  coast,  and  then  only  as  a  straggler,  seeking,  even  at 
such  times,  the  protection  of  bays  and  rivers.     Its  habits 


PELICAN. 


475 


are  also  essentially  different.  It  never  boldly  soars  aloft, 
nor  seeks  its  prey  at  sea.  The  oceanic  species  is  likewise 
seen  in  -troops,  sometimes  following  a  retreating  shoal  of 
fish,  and  circumventing  their  escape  by  enclosing  them  as  in 
a  ring ;  at  other  times,  soaring  over  their  prey,  they  drop 
down  like  a  plummet,  and  plunging  headlong,  cause  the 
foaming  sea  to  fly  up  for  eight  or  ten  feet  by  the  rebound. 
These  and  other  actions  foreign  to  our  bird,  would  seem  to 
indicate  an  original  difference  of  race.  Yet  again,  we  find 
them  on  the  old  continent  principally  upon  large  rivers  and 
residents  on  lakes.  ^^* 

The  flesh  of  the  Pelican,  as  Buffon  remarks,  needed  not 
to  have  been  forbidden  among  the  Jews  as  unclean,  for  it 
condemns  itself  by  its  bad  taste>  its  marshy  scent,  and  its 
oily  fat,  though  some  navigators  have  eaten  of  it,  who  say 
that  it  is  better  than  either  that  of  the  Boobies  or  Man-of- 
War  Birds. 

The  length  of  the  Pelican  is  about  6  feet.  The  general  color  is 
white,  tinged  with  peach-blossom  red  ;  the  breast  yellowish  ;  bastard 
wing  and  quilla  black.  Bill  bluish,  the  margins  and  nail  reddish. 
Naked  skin  round  the  eye,  base  of  the  upper  mandible,  and  the  feet 
flesh  colored  ;  the  pouch  yellow.  The  hind  head  is  crested.  Neck 
covered  with  down. 

Note.  Some  specimens,  apparently  in  mature  plumage,  have  the 
bill  quite  even  above ;  but  individuals  have  a  long  thin  bony  pro- 
cess, about  two  incheii  high,  springing  from  the  ridge  of  the  upper  man- 
dible. It  does  not  appear  that  these  excrescences  ever  exist  in  the 
hills  of  the  Pelican  of  the  Old  Continent.  In  the  transatlantic  bird 
.there  is  also  sometimes  a  stain  of  pale  green  on  the  breast,  similar  to 
the  coloring  on  the  head  of  the  Eider  Ouck. 


ling,  even  at 


MH^i  -: 


^!;;■»V 


t    y 


._\i'Xr, 


476 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


"l 


i  I. 


:-v-i!r  :i 


BROWN  PELICAN. 

(Pdecanus  fuseusj  Linn.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  353.  Vieill.  Gal. 
des  Oiseaux,  pi.  276.  Dusky  Pelican,  Pxnn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No. 
506.  Pelican  brun  d'^merique,  Bufi  .  Ois.  viii.  p.  806.  PI.  Enlum. 
957.  P.  earolinensia,  Lath.  Penn.  No.  507.  P.  trachyrhyncuSf 
and  P.  erythrorhyncos,  of  authors.    Phil.  Museum,  No ) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Middle  nail  serrated  internally;  primaries  black, 
the  shafts  white  ;  the  1st  quill  equal  to  the  5th.  — Aditlt  blackish- 
ash,  back  and  wings  hoary  ;  crown  yellowish ;  neck  deep  chest- 
nut, margined  each  side  with  white.     Young  wholly  brownish. 

The  Brown  Pelican  inhabits  exclusively  the  sea  coast  of 
the  warmer  parts  of  America,  being  abundant  in  the  West 
Indies,  particularly  in  Jamaica,  Barbadoes,  &.c.  It  is  also 
seen  in  Mexico,  the  Bay  of  Campeachy,  and  as  low  as  Car- 
thagena  and  Cayenne.  They  are  likewise  common  in 
the  Southern  States,  abounding  in  the  bay  of  Charleston 
where  they  are  seen  actively  engaged  in  pursuit  of  their 
prey.  They  likewise  breed  and  inhabit  in  the  peninsula  of 
East  Florida,  and  occasionally  wander  up  the  Mississippi  as 
far  as  the  river  Missouri.  They  are,  like  the  preceding 
species,  very  gluttonous  and  voracious.  After  gorging  them- 
selves, they  retire  to  the  rocks  or  islets,  and  during  the  pro- 
cess of  digesting  their  enormous  meal,  remain  dozing  and  in- 
active for  hours  together,  with  the  bill  resting  on  the  breast,  at 
which  times,  in  South  America,  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  for 
the  natives  to  steal  upon  them  unawares,  and  seize  them  by 
the  neck  without  their  making  any  defence  or  resistance. 
Yet,  like  some  other  gregarious  birds,  they  are  said  to  show  a 
great  affection  for  the  wounded  of  their  own  species  to  whom 
they  will  carry  a  supply  of  food.  Father  Raymond  relates, 
thjsi  he  had  seen  one  of  these  Pelicans  so  well  tamed  and  taught 
among  the  aborigines,  that  It  would  go  off  in  the  morning, 


CORMORANTS. 


477 


'(* 


2.  VixiLL.  Gal. 
ct.  Zool.  ii.  No. 
306.  FLEnlum. 
P.  traehyrhyncus, 
m,  No ) 

primaries  black, 
-./^(ZuZtblackish- 
leck  deep  chest- 
>lly  brownish. 

he  sea  coast  of 

nt  in  the  West 

S£.c.    It  is  also 

as  low  as  Gar- 

!    common    in 

of  Charleston 

ursuit  of  their 

le  peninsula  of 

Mississippi  as 

the  preceding 

gorging  them- 

uring  the  pro- 

ozing  and  in- 

the  breast,  at 

imon  thing  for 

seize  them  by 

or  resistance. 

said  to  show  a 

cies  to  whom 

mond  relates, 

ed  and  taught 

the  morning. 


and  return  before  night  to  its  master  with  its  pouch  distended 
with  fish,  a  great  part  of  which  the  savages  made  it  disgorge, 
leaving  it  in  possession  of  the  remainder  as  a  reward  for  ita 
service. 

Length  nearly  4  feet.  The  young  bird  has  the  bill  red,  with  a 
black  nail.  Naked  space  between  the  bill  and  eyea  red.  The  head 
mottled  with  ash  color  and  white ;  the  nape  slightly  crested.  The 
hind  part  of  the  neck  covered  with  soft  ash-colored  feathers.  Back, 
scapulars,  primaries,  and  wing  coverts  dusky,  edged  with  dull  white. 
Tail  deep  ash.     Legs  dusky-green. 


CORMORANTS.     (Phalacrocorax,  Briss.) 

In  these  birds,  closely  allied  to  the  Pelicans,  the  bill  is  of  moderate 
dimensions,  straight,  and  compressed ;  the  upper  mandible  seamed 
and  rounded  above,  with  the  ridge  distinct,  unguiculated  and  hooked 
at  the  point ,  the  lower  somewhat  shorter,  furnished  at  base  with  a 
small  naked  membrane  produced  on  the  throat.  Nostrils  in  the 
furrows,  basal,  linear,  scarcely  visible.  Tongue  very  short,  and  ob- 
tuse, carinated  above.  Hind  head  very  protuberant;  the' face  and 
small  pouch  naked.  Feet  short  and  robust :  tibia  much  drawn  up 
into  the  belly,  wholly  feathered,  tarsus  carinated  before  and  behind ; 
the  whole  4  toes  connected  by  a  membrane  ;  webs  broad  and  full ; 
hind  toe  half  as  long  as  the  middle  one ;  middle  nail  serrated  on  the 
■inner  edge.  Wings  moderate,  2d  and  3d  primaries  longest.  Tail 
rounded,  of  12  or  14  rigid  feathers. 

The  sexes  alike  in  their  plumage.  The  young  differing  greatly 
from  the  adult.  They  moult  twice  in  the  year,  acquiring  additional 
ornaments  in  the  spring.  The  plumage  thick  and  close ;  its  colors 
black. 

The  Cormorants  associate  in  families,  near  water,  and  swim  with 
dexterity,  with  the  body  deeply  immersed,  sometimes  with  the  head 
only  exposed ;  they  dive  after  their  prey  with  expanded  wings,  ad- 
vancing with  great  velocity,  and  remaining  long  submerged ;  they 
also  fly  well  and  with  rapidity,  and  are  seen  perching  on  branches,  or 
sitting  for  hours  on  high  and  bare  rocks,  with  their  wings  outspread, 
as  if  basking  in  the  air.    They  walk  awkwardly  and  in  an  erect 


\ 


f 


478 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


poature,  using  their  rigid  tail  as  an  additional  means  of  support. 
The  Cormorants  feed  almost  exclusively  on  fish ;  retiring  from  the 
water  with  the  prey  in  their  bill,  and  in  order  to  swallow  it  head 
foremost,  throw  it  up  into  the  air,  and  oatoh  it  as  it  descends.  They 
build  in  high  trees  or  in  hollow  and  shelving  rocks,  as  well  as  on 
the  ground  among  reeds :  the  nest  is  constructed  with'  little  art  and 
of  coarse  materials ;  the  eggs  ore  3  or  4  and  whitish.  They  have 
sometimes  been  trained  to  fish  for  man. 
The  species  are  rather  niunerous  and  spread  over  the  whole  world. 


'■'^'■'^'K.l'^'i'y' 


^% 


v.- . 


// 


neans  of  support, 
retiring  from  the 
)  swallow  it  head 
descends.  They 
;ks,  as  well  as  on 
with'  little  art  and 
itish.    They  have 

:  the  whole  world. 


1 


•  CORMORANT. 

(Phalaeroeorax  earbo,  Dcmont.  Bonaf.  Synops.  No.  353.  Carbo 
cormoranus,  Meyer.  Temh.  Man.  d'Om.  ii.  p.  894.  Pelecanus 
carbo,  Linn.  Gmel.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  sp.  14.  Le  Cormoran,  Buff. 
Ois.  viii.  p.  310.  t.  26.  Ib.  PI.  Enlum.  927.  [summer  dress.]  The 
Cormorant,  Fenn.  Brit.  Zool.  p.  159.  t.  L.  1.  [the  young  of  a  year 
old.]  Ibid.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  509.    Phil.  Museum,  No.  .  .  .) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill 4  inches  long;  tail  moderate,  rounded, consist- 
ing of  14  feathers.  —  ^dult  glossy  black ;  a  white  collar  on  the 
throat.  In  summer  a  golden-green  crest ;  head,  neck,  and  thighs 
with  long,  slender,  silky,  white  feathers.  Young  blackish ;  be- 
neath mixed  with  whitish. 


I  -' 


r 


\ 


480 


WCB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


i 


The  Cormorant,  Phalacrocorax,  or  Bald  Raven  of  the 
Greeks,  like  the  Pelican,  to  which  it  is  nearly  related,  is  also 
a  general  inhabitant  of  nearly  every  maritime  part  of  the 
world,  and  even  extends  its  residence  into  the  inclement 
regions  of  Greenland,  where  by  following  the  openings  of 
the  great  icy  barriers  of  that  dreary  region  they  find  means 
to  subsist  and  to  fish  throughout  the  year.  To  the  natives 
of  this  frigid  climate  they  also  prove  of  singular  service, 
their  tough  skin  is  used  by  them  as  garments,  the  pouch  is 
employed  as  a  bladder  to  float  their  fishing  tackle,  and  the 
flesh  though  coarse  is  still  acceptable  to  those  who  can 
regale  upon  seals,  and  whale's  blubber. 

This  uncouth  and  gluttonous  bird  is  plentiful  on  the  rocky 
shores  of  Great  Britain,  Holland,  France  and  Germany. 
On  the  shores  of  the  Caspian  they  are  sometimes  seen  in 
vast  flocks,  and  are  frequent  on  lake  Baikal.  They  inhabit 
China,  the  coast  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  are  com- 
mon in  the  Phillippine  islands.  New  Holland,  New  Zealand, 
and  other  neighboring  regions.  At  Nootka  Sound,  and  in 
Kamtschatka  they  have  been  observed  by  various  navigators ; 
and  are  found  in  North  America,  from  Hudson's  Bay  and 
Labrador,  to  the  coasts  of  Carolina  and  Georgia.  They 
are  not  however  common  in  the  central  parts  of  the  United 
States,  though  they  penetrate  into  the  interior  as  far  as  the 
Missouri  river.*  They  breed,  and  are  seen  in  the  vicinity 
of  Boston  on  bare  and  rocky  islands,  nearly  throughout  the 
year,  and  in  all  places  appear  shy,  retiring  and  sedentary, 
enduring  the  most  severe  weather  with  impunity,  and  only 
removing  seawards  or  south  in  the  depth  of  winter  for  the 
purpose  of  acquiring  food.  Mr.  Audubon  found  them  breed- 
ing on  the  ledges  of  almost  inaccessible  rocks  at  Grand 
Manan  isle,  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy.     Their  eggs  are  3  to  5, 

*  Mr.  Say. 


•*■    CORMORANT. 


481 


i  Raven  of  the 
ly  related,  is  also 
ime  part  of  the 
to  the  inclement 
the  openings  of 
they  find  means 
To  the  natives 
singular  service, 
[Its,  the  pouch  is 
r  tackle,  and  the 
3  those  who  can 

itiful  on  the  rocky 
36  and  Germany, 
sometimes  seen  in 
al.     They  inhabit 
Dpe,  and  are  com- 
ind.  New  Zealand, 
ka  Sound,  and  in 
mrious  navigators ; 
Hudson's  Bay  and 
I  Georgia.     They 
arts  of  the  United 
erior  as  far  as  the 
;en  in  the  vicinity 
rly  throughout  the 
icr  and  sedentary, 
ipunity,  and  only 
of  winter  for  the 
Ifound  them  breed- 
rocks  at  Grand 
ir  eggs  are  3  to  5, 


white,  roaghened  with  a  calcareous  tficnifltation,  and  small 
for  the  size  of  the  bird.  They  appear  very  wary  and 
shy,  and  feed  their  young  with  great  assiduity,  whose  voice 
at  this  time  resembles  the  hissing  of  snakes. 

The  Cormorant  is  a  very  dexterous  and  voracious  fisher, 
committing  great  havoc  when  it  visits  pools  and  lakes ;  but 
it  almost  constantly  resides  on  the  sea  shores,  and  is  seldom 
seen  inland.  Swimming  beneath  the  water  with  the  velo- 
city of  a  dart  in  the  air,  and  remaining  a  long  time  sub- 
merged, its  prey  scarcely  ever  escapes,  and  it  almost  always 
rises  with  a  fish  in  its  bill,  to  swallow  which  it  employs  the 
expedient  of  tossing  it  into  the  air,  and  dexterously  catches 
the  head  in  its  descent,  so  that  the  fins  lie  flat,  and  thus 
favor  the  passage  down  the  throat;  the  small  pouch  at 
the  same  time  stretches  so  as  to  admit  the  whole  body  of 
the  fish,  which  is  often  very  large  in  proportion  to  the  neck, 
and  it  there  remains  undergoing  a  preparatory  digestion 
previous  to  its  passage  into  the  lower  part  of  the  stomach. 

In  some  countries,  as  in  China,  and  formerly  in  England, 
the  dexterity  of  the  Cormorant  in  fishing  was  turned  to 
profit ;  for,  by  buckling  a  ring  about  the  lower  part  of  the 
neck,  to  prevent  deglutition,  and  accustoming  it  to  return 
with  its  acquisitions  in  the  bill  to  its  master,  it  was  made  an 
useful  and  domestic  fisher.  On  the  rivers  of  China,  Cor- 
morants, thus  fixed,  are  perched  on  the  prows  of  boats,  and 
at  a  signal  made  by  striking  the  water  with  an  oar,  they 
instantly  plunge,  and  soon  emerge  with  a  fish,  which  is 
taken  from  them ;  and  this  toil  continued  till  its  master  is 
satisfied,  he  looses  the  collar,  and  finishes  the  task  by  allow- 
ing it  to  fish  for  itself.  But  it  is  only  hunger  which  gives  ac- 
tivity to  the  Cormorant ;  when  glutted  with  its  meal,  which 
is  soon  acquired,  it  relaxes  into  its  native  indolence,  and 
dozes  away  the  greatest  part  of  its  time  in  gluttonous  ine- 
briety, perched  in  solitude  on  naked  and  insulated  or  inac- 
41 


_u.i_.     ..^A£J<»».wJl> 


v| 


I 


483 


WBB-POOTED    BIRDS. 


cessible  rocks  to  which  it  prudently  retires  for  greater  safety 
from  the  intrusion  of  enemies. 

In  Europe,  where  they  are  alike  sedentary  and  averse  to 
migration,  they  are  known  to  breed  from  the  coasts  of  Hol- 
land to  the  shores  of  Greenland,  and  they  are  equally  resi- 
dents in  America  nearly  to  the  extremity  of  the  Union. 
The  nest  is  usually  made  with  sticks,  sea  weeds,  grass,  and 
other  coarse  materials,  commonly  upon  rocks,  but  some- 
times upon  trees  on  the  banks  of  rivers,  where  they  are 
occasionally  seen  perched.  According  to  Lawson,  they  are 
observed  in  great  flocks  in  Carolina,  in  March  and  April, 
when  the  herrings  ascend  the  creeks ;  at  which  time  they  are 
seen  on  fallen  logs  in  the  water  waiting  and  watching  the 
approach  of  their  prey. 

The  Cormorant  rarely  exceeds  the  length  of  8  feet  3  inchM,  and 
is  commonly  smaller.  The  bill  blackish-ash,  5  inches  long.  Irids 
grass  or  emerald  green.  The  chin  and  round  the  base  of  the  bill  to 
the  eyes,  bare  and'yellow.  Head  and  neck  black.  Back  greenish- 
black,  glossed  with  purple,  each  feather  bordered  with  deep  black ; 
scapulars  and  wing  coyerts  the  same,  dashed  with  ash  color.  Below 
black,  except  a  small  patch  of  white  upon  the  throat.  Quills  and 
rounded  tail  dusky  black.    Feet  black. 

Summer  plumage  with  a  dark  green  brilliant  long  crest  upon  th« 
hind  head  and  a  part  of  the  nape ;  also  a  large  white  collar  on  the 
throat.  Upon  the  summit  of  the  head,  on  a  great  part  of  the  neck 
and  the  thighs,  appear  some  very  long,  attenuated,  silky  white  feath- 
ers. The  rest  of  the  plumage  is  as  in  the  winter.  These  feathers 
also  are  more  or  less  long  in  proportion  to  the  age  of  individuals. 


'ssfr 


%:■ 


'^:f.' 


>-f?.ii\ 


,  I'X^i:'!:- 


■  ".a 


1  h  ,  t'-i}. 


V. 


for  greater  safety 


DOUBLK-CREBTID    CORMORANT.  488 


DOUBLE-CRESTED  CORMORANT. 

(Phakuroeorax  tUlophiu.  Peleeanu$  (Carhe)  dilophut,  BwAiRt.  Rich. 

and  SwAiiTB.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  473.)  '^ 

Sp.  Charact.— Tail  of  13  feathera;  bill  3i  inohet  long;  a  oraited 
toft  of  feathers  behind  each  eye. 

This  new  species,  allied  to  the  common  Cormorant,  waa 
obtained  on  the  Saskatchewan  in  the  month  of  May,  by  Dr. 
Richardson,  but  of  its  habits  and  manners  we  are  wholly 
ignorant :  it  seems,  however,  there  to  supply  the  place  of 
the  other  species  which  is  not  mentioned  as  found  in  the 
fur  countries. 

Length  about  88  inches ;  the  bill  from  the  front  2  inches  1  line , 
the  wing  12  inches ;  middle  tail  feathers  6j^  inches ;  tarsus  about  2 
inches  8  lines :  the  long  toe  and  nail  4  inches  1  line.  The  bill  black- 
iah-brown.  Orbits  and  naked  skin  round  the  chin  7elk>w.  Oyer 
the  eye  a  line  of  white  dots.  General  plumage  above  and  below, 
deep  bluish-black,  glossed  obscurely  with  green ;  this  color,  as  usual, 
confined  to  the  margins  only  of  the  feathers  on  the  upper  part  of 
the  back,  the  lesser  wing  coverts  and  the  tertials,  the  middle  of 
which  are  light  hair-brown :  quills  much  darker.  Tail  and  feet 
black.  The  middle  toe  strongly  pectinated.  Naked  space  on  the 
■ides  of  the  head  small,  extending  from  the  bill  to  the  eye,  which  it 
scarcely  encircles;. it  also  occupies  a  narrow  margin  at  the  rictus, 
and  then  curves  downwards  under  the  chin,  which  it  crosses,  leav- 
ing  a  naked  space  8^  inches  in  length,  measured  to  the  base  of  the 
gonys  of  the  under  mandible.  Immediately  behind  the  eye  is  a  con- 
spicuous crest  or  tufl  of  narrow  slender  feathers,  many  of  which  are 
an  inch  and  a  quarter  long.  Tail  moderate,  of  12  feathers,  each  of 
which  is  graduated.    X^esser  quills  slightly  mucronated. 


-^  I 


ii<i,ri|ii,.riMft  ifHa. 


>\ 


484 


WBB-fOOTU>  BIROI. 


II 


THE  SHAO. 


(Pkalaerocorm  grtmiu$y  Ovmoiit.  Bovaf.  Sjnopfl.  No.  364.  PtUea- 
nus  graetUut,  Li«n.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  ip.  16.  Cario graevlutfTmuu. 
Mao.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  807.  Fou  brun  de  Cayentu,  Burr.  Fl.  EnluiDi 
974.  [young  of  the  year].  Shag.  Pbnn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  608. 
Liwiif's  Brit.  Birda.  vii.  t.  964.  Pdeeanu*  parvus,  Omcl.  Lath. 
[young].    Phil.  Muaeum.  No ) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  about  8Ji  inches  long;  tail  very  long,  conic, 
oompoaed  of  IS  feathers.  —  .Adult  greenish-black ;  with  a  few  scat- 
tered white  streaks  on  the  neck.  In  Mummer  bronze-colored,  with 
a  golden-green  crest ;  head,  neck  and  thighs,  with  short  and  small 
white  feathers.  Young  blackish,  more  or  less  tinted  beneath  with 
whitish. 

The  Shag,  a  denizen  of  nearly  the  whole  world,  inhab- 
its both  the  old  and  new  continent,  and  is  colonized  in  both 
hemispheres.  They  are  frequent  in  most  parts  of  Europe, 
as  far  north  as  Sweden,  Norway  and  Iceland ;  and  in  the 
eastern  parts  are  birds  of  passage.  In  Africa,  Brazil,  and 
under  the  Antarctic  circle  they  are  particularly  numerous. 
They  are  common  in  most  parts  of  the  United  States,  as 
far  south  as  East  Florida  where  they  even  breed,  in  large 
communities  in  trees ;  *  but  are  not,  however,  found  appar- 
ently much  further  north  than  the  bays  and  islands  of  the 
St.  Lawrence.  In  the  southern  hemisphere  Cook  and  Fors- 
ter  found  them  in  the  desolate  island  of  Georgia,  in  a  region 
nearly  inaccessible  to  man,  where,  associated  with  the  Pen- 
guins, they  lodged  among  the  tufls  of  rushy  grass,  the  only 
vegetable  production  of  that  dreary  tract.  On  Staten  Land 
they  were  also  observed  in  great  numbers ;  and  were  almost 
the  exclusive  possessors  of  the  islands  in  the  Straits  of  Mag- 
ellan, one  of  which  Captain  Cook  named  afler  them. 

*  AuouBoif,  In  lit. 


^■■f 


r. 


\l 


THE   MAO. 


465 


In  these  dreary  wadteii,  the  Shags  breed  amongst  broken 
rocks,  or  on  projecting  cliffs  advancing  into  the  ocean.  In 
other  parts  their  nenta  are  mudo  among  patches  of  flags,  or 
in  tali  tufts  of  coarse  g  ass ;  where  fhey  inhabit,  collected 
by  thousands.  The  report  of  a  musket  do€§  not  disperse 
them,  they  only  rise  a  few  feet,  and  alight  again  into  their 
nests,  nor  is  the  use  of  fire  arms  necessary,  for  they  may  be 
dispatched  with  sticks,  without  producing  any  general  alarm 
by  the  attack.  The  flesh  of  the  young  is  accounted  pretty 
good  food.  V 

The  Shag  dwells  perpetually  on  the  borders  of  the  sea, 
and  rarely  ever  wanders  inland  like  the  Cormorant.  On  the 
rocky  coasts  or  on  trees  in  which  they  sometimes  breed,  they 
construct  a  coarse  and  bulky  nest  of  sticks  and  sea-weed, 
and  lay  2  or  3  white  eggs  of  a  long  oval  figure.  On  a  small 
rock,  a  little  detached  from  the  shore,  Montagu  counted  as 
many  as  30  nests  together.  The  Shag,  by  reason  of  the 
weight  of  its  body  in  proportion  to  the  feathers,  swims  deep 
in  the  water,  showing  in  fact  only  the  head,  neck,  and 
back ;  but  they  are  most  expert  divers  and  devour  a  prodi- 
gious quantity  of  fish.  In  Holland,  near  Sevenhuis,  they 
were  known  to  build,  like  Herons,  on  tall  trees  or  insulated 
rocks.  In  Massachusetts  Bay,  at  the  approach  of  winter, 
they  are  seen  to  assemble  in  numerous  and  dense  flocks,  so 
that  several  dozen  have  been  killed  at  a  shot. 

The  length  of  the  Shag  is  about  29  inches.  In  the  winter  dress  qf 
the  adult,  the  head,  throat,  neck,  back,  and  all  the  lower  parts  are  of 
a  dull  greenish-black.  Upon  the  neck  are  some  small  obscure  whit- 
ish spots.  The  feathers  of  the  top  of  the  back  and  of  the  wings  are 
dark  ash  in  the  middle,  each  bordered  widely  with  deep  black.  Naked 
space  around  the  eyes  and  small  gular  pouch  reddish-yellow.  Bill 
reddish-ash,  black  above.    Iris  reddish-brown.    Feet  black. 

41» 


486 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


.    w 


CRESTED  SHAG.         " 

(Phalacroeorax  eristattu,  Duhont.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  355.  Pelceo' 
nus  cristatus,  Gmel.  Lath.  Ind.  Orn.  ii.  p.  888.  ep.  16.  Fabric. 
Fauna  Groenl.  No.  58.  Olaff£n,  Voy.  en  Islande,  vol.  ii.  and  Atlas 
tab.  44.     Carbo  cristatus,  Tehh.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  900,  and  Ibid. 

,  Planche  color.  323.  [adult  in  full  dress].  Carbo  brachyurus,  BREHai. 
Crested  Shag,  Penn.  Arct.   Zool.  ii.  p.  312.  [4to]  A.)  •   '      ' 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  very  slender,  3j|  inches  long ;  tail  very  short, 
rounded,  of  12  feathers.  —  Adult  dark  and  bright  golden-green, 
virithout  white  feathers.  In  summer  a  broad,  long,  golden  tuft  on 
the  top  of  the  head,  and  a  slender  crest  behind.  The  ^oun^  black- 
ish, beneath  more  or  less  whitish. 

The  Crested  Shag,  is  also  an  inhabitant  of  the  northern 
part  of  both  continents.  It  is  said  to  be  common  in  Iceland, 
in  the  Orkneys,  and  in  Norway  and  Sweden,  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  large  lakes.  In  Britain  they  inhabit  the  dark  and 
bleak  precipices  of  Holyhead,  on  the  coast  of  Wales,  and 
the  cliiTs  of  the  Isle  of  Wight.  They  are  likewise  seen  in 
the  south  of  Greenland,  where  like  the  Night  Herons,  the 
rocks  they  frequent  are  covered  by  their  excrements.  They 
have  the  same  habits  and  mode  of  breeding  as  the  preced- 
ing species ;  nesting  in  the  clefts  of  rocks,  laying  2  long 
and  whitish  eggs  covered  with  a  calcareous  incrustation.  It 
is  rather  rare  in  the  United  States,  and  seen  only  in  the 
winter. 

The  length  of  the  Crested  Shag  is  about  2  feet  4  inches ;  the  alar 
extent  42  inches ;  the  bill  above  2  inches  4  lines.  Winter  dress  of 
the  adult,  with  all  the  plumage  of  a  fine  deep  resplendent  and  shin- 
ing green.  Upper  part  of  the  back,  scapulars,  wing  coverts  and 
quills  of  a  fine  bronze  color,  each  feather  surrounded  with  a  narrow 
border  of  velvety-black.  The  extremities  of  the  closed  wings  not 
extending  beyond  the  commencement  of  the  tail,  which  is  short, 


DWARF   SHAG,      f 


487 


rounded  and  of  a  dull  black.  Base  of  the  bill,  and  the  very  small 
gular  pouch,  of  a  fine  yellow.  Bill  brown.  Feet  black.  The  iri« 
green. 


i^-':; 


K 


-.i'Kk-y.  ^'.i    111) 


.  •»»,■«<»  Vi  . 


DWARF  SHAG. 


^>^iavN 


(Phalacroeorax  pygmisus,  Ddmont.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  356.  Pel- 
ecanus  pygmaus,  Pallas.  Reise,  ii.  p.  712.  t.  G.  Gmel.  Sygt.  i. 
p.  574.  sp.  19.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  sp.  25.  Le  Cormoran  pygmie,  Soss. 
Nouv.  Edit,  de  Buff.  Ois.  xxiv.  p.  77.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  1^  inches  long,  shorter  than  the  head  ;  tail  long, 
cuneiform,  of  12  feathers ;  scapulars  long  and  subulate. — Adult 
black,  slightly  glossed  with  green ;  eyebrows  dotted  with  white  ; 
orbits  and  pouch  black.  No  crest  in  summer,  the  head,  neck  and 
thighs,  finely  streaked  with  white.  The  young  blackish,  beneath 
whitish  ;  the  orbits  and  pouch  yellowish. 

As  a  native  of  the  United  States  and  of  the  northern 
parts  of  America  we  introduce  this  species  on  the  authority 
of  the  Prince  of  Musignano,  who  reports  it  from  seeing  one 
reputed  specimen  of  native  origin.  It  is  probably  a  mere 
straggler  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  but  from  its  occurrence  in 
Asiatic  Russia,  may  more  probably  be  expected  on  the  west- 
ern side  of  America.  It  is  seen  about  the  Caspian  Sea,  and 
other  parts  of  Russia,  is  common  in  Hungary,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Danube  ;  but  rare  in  Austria  and  the  contiguous  parts 
of  Germany. 

The  length  of  this  small  species  is  only  about  22  inches.  The  adult 
in  leinter  has  all  the  plumage  of  the  upper  parts  of  the  body  of  an 
ashy  black,  each  feather  being  narrowly  bordered  round  with  glossy 
black.  Neck  and  lower  parts  greenish-black.  Some  very  small  white 
spots  on  the  eyebrows.  Bill,  orbits,  and  small  gular  nudity  deep 
black.    Feet  blackish-ash. 


488 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


AFRICAN  SHAG. 

(Phalacrocorax  africanua,  Domont.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  857.  Pele- 
canua  africanus,  Gmel.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  890.  sp.  34.  Sparmarif 
Mus.  Carls,  fascic.  iii.  tab.  61.  [a  good  figure.]) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  2  inches  long,  longer  than  the  head ;  tail  long, 
rounded,  composed  of  12  feathers ;  scapulars  long,  subulate.  The 
size  very  small.  —  Advlt  black,  slightly  glossed  with  green ;  throat 
white.     Young  blackish,  beneath  whitish. 

This  hitherto  rare  species,  given  on  the  authority  of  the 
Prince  of  Musignano,  inhabits  both  continents.  It  has 
been  found  by  Sparman  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  I  am 
assured  by  Mr.  Audubon  also,  that  he  has  seen  it  in  the 
United  States.  ^ 

The  African  Shag  is  only  about  20  inches  in  length.  The  upper 
mandible  of  the  bill  is  brown-black,  the  remainder  of  it  dull  yellow- 
ish-white. The  head  and  neck  brownish-black.  Middle  of  the  back 
and  rump  glossy  black.  Scapulars  and  wing  coverts  ash  grey,  each 
feather  margined  all  round  and  tipped  with  black.  The  3  first  quills 
pale  brown,  inclining  to  cinnamon,  the  rest  brown-black;  seconda- 
ries as  long  as  the  quills,  of  a  dusky  black,  edged  with  brown.  Tail 
of  12  feathers,  wedge-shaped,  the  2  middle  ones  7  inches  long,  the 
outer  only  3j^  inches ;  the  4  middle  ones  and  the  outer  on  each  side 
pale  brown,  the  rest  black.  Chin  white  Fore  part  of  the  neck  mot- 
tled with  dusky  white  and  black  ;  belly  much  the  same,  with  a  mix- 
ture of  brown.     Legs  black. 

Note.  Mr.  Audubon,  by  letter,  mentions  a  new  species  as  he  be- 
lieves, and  which  he  will  in  due  time  publish,  which  breeds  on  the 
flat  portions  of  Rocky  Islands,  (in  Labrador?)  raising  a  nest  of 
Weeds,  sticks,  &c.  from  one  to  three  feet  in  length. 


FRIOATB   PKLICANS. 


489 


Sjji^p*^'*,^'  -' ji«^  ■'Sill  «sai^<*& 

£    FRIGATE  PELICANS.     (Tbachypetes,  Vieili.)  • 


In  these  birds  the  bill  is  longer  than  the  head,  dilated  and  entire 
on  the  margins  ;  with  both  mandibles  strongly  hooked  and  acumin- 
ate at  the  points ;  the  upper  very  acute,  furnished  with  a  nail,  depress* 
ed  at  the  base,  the  ridge  grooved  deeply  on  each  side.  Nostrils  in 
the  furrows  of  the  bill,  basal,  linear,  and  but  little  apparent.  Tongu« 
very  short  and  lanceolate ;  the  gape  very  wide.  Orbits  and  lores 
naked,  the  throat  dilatable  and  furnished  with  a  pouch.  Feet  very 
short,  the  thighs  drawn  up  into  the  belly  ;  tibia  wholly  feathered ', 
tarsus  compressed  and  carinated  on  both  sides,  half  feathered.  Toes 
4,  all  connected  together  by  membranes,  the  webs  deeply  indented ; 
hind  toe  half  as  long  as  the  middle  one ;  the  nails  large,  curved,  and 
acute  ;  the  middle  one  serrated  on  its  inner  edge,  and  twice  as  long 
as  the  rest;  Wings  extremely  long  and  narrow ;  the  1st  primary 
longest.     Tail  deeply  forked,  of  12  flaccid  feathers. 

The  sexes  similar  in  their  plumage.  The  young  differing  from  the 
adult,  anti  changing  repeatedly.  The  moult  occurs  twice  in  the 
year,  producing  but  slight  change  in  the  colors.  The  plumage  not 
impermeable  to  water.    The  general  colors  approaching  to  black. 

The  Frigate  Pelicans  associate  in  small  or  large  flocks ;  keep  much 
on  the  wing,  encountering  storms  with  impunity,  and  soaring  at 
times  above  the  clouds.  They  fly  with  great  rapidity,  and  are  seen 
far  out  at  sea,  though  never  resting  on  the  surface,  as  they  appear 
unable  either  to  dive  or  swim.  On  land  they  are  seen  perched  on 
trees,  or  on  high  rocks ;  and  when  on  the  ground  appear  unable  to 
rise  and  are  easiiy  caught.  They  pursue  the  flying  fish,  and  seize  it 
as  it  rises  from  the  waves  to  escape  from  its  pursuers  in  the  deep. 
Tyrants  of  the  ocean,  they  even  seize  upon  the  Pelican,  and  habitu- 
ally harass  the  Gulls  and  Boobies,  compelling  them  often  to  drop 
their  finny  prey,  or  even  to  disgorge  that  which  they  have  swallow- 
ed, and  are  so  eager  and  alert  in  the  pursuit,  as  to  seize  the  fish  before 
it  arrives  at  the  waves.  Their  sight,  like  that  of  the  Eagle,  is  keen 
and  accurate,  and  they  are  often  seen  to  pounce  upon  their  quarry 
from  the  sky  with  an  unerring  aim.  They  sometimes  skim  the  sur- 
face of  the  waves  or  lie  suspended  with  their  wings  still  elevated 


Vm 


490 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


above  the  back.  They  breed  on  trees,  on  desert  shores,  or  on  elevated 
rocks ;  the  eggs  are  only  one  or  two. 

The  birds  of  this  group  are  chiefly  tropical,  and  are  formed  of  but 
two  species,  one  of  which  is  also  doubtful.  They  are  analogous  in 
form  and  habits  to  the  rapacious  birds,  especially  the  Eagles,  which 
they  seem  to  represent  among  the  ac|uatic  tribes, 


■f-U:     ..1 -/>:''''■■ 


i^:r  ;; 


T-^'i-v:'! 


:n 


\  :  :jr  .  i  t 


.^^■'■■f>';^■^,  ,. 


■;'Vj»-' 


-:■::■-%: 


";::'_3»n'.:. 


'>  f 


or  on  elevated 

formed  of  but 
e  analogous  in 
Eagles,  which 


^■''   ■ 


FRIGATE  PELICAN. 

(Trachypete*  aquilus,  Vieillot,  Gal.  des  Ois.  pi.  274.Bonap.  Synops. 
No.  358.  Pelecanus  aquilus,  P.  leueocephalus  and  P.  pidnurstoni, 
Ghel.  Lath.  Fregate  de  Cayenne,  Buff.  PI.  Enlum,  961.  Man> 
of- War  Bird,  Edwards.    Fregata  avis,  Rat.) 

Sr.  Gharact.  —  Purplish-black:  orbits  black;  shaft  of  the  outer 
tail  feather  white  beneath.  —  Jldult,  summer  plumage  ?  head  whit*. 
The  young  with  part  of  the  breast  and  belly  white. 

The  Frigate  Pelican  or  Man-of-War  Bird  is  chiefly  seen 
on  the  tropical  seas,  and  generally  on  the  wing.     They  ar« 


492 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


abundant  in  the  Island  of  Ascension,  India,  Ceylon  and 
China.  In  the  South  Sea  they  are  seen  about  the  Marque- 
safl,  Easter  Isles  and  New  Caledonia,  also  at  Otaheite. 
Dampier  saw  them  in  great  plenty  in  the  island  of  Aves  in 
the  West  Indies,  and  they  are  common  off  the  coast  of 
East  Florida,  particularly  around  the  reefs  or  keys,  oflen 
assembled  in  flocks  of  from  fifty  to  a  thousand.*  They  are 
also  not  uncommon,  during  summer,  along  the  coasts  of  the 
Union  as  far  as  South  Carolina,  and  breed  in  various  places, 
retiring  to  warmer  latitudes  on  the  approach  of  cool 
weather. 

The  Frigate  Bird  is  oflen  seen  smoothly  gliding  through 
the  air,  with  the  motions  of  a  Kite,  from  one  to  two  hundred 
leagues  from  the  land,  sustaining  these  vast  flights  with  the 
greatest  apparent  ease,  sometimes  soaring  so  high  as  to  be 
scarcely  visible,  at  others  approaching  the  surface  of  the 
sea,  where  hovering  at  some  distance,  it  at  length  espies  a 
fish,  and  darts  upon  it  with  the  utmost  rapidity  and  gener- 
ally with  success,  flying  upwards  again,  as  quick  as  it  de- 
scended. In  the  same  manner  it  also  attacks  the  Boobies 
and  other  marine  birds  which  it  obliges  to  relinquish  their 
prey. 

They  breed  abundantly  in  the  Bahamas,  and  are  said  to 
make  their  nests  on  trees,  if  near  :  at  other  times  they  lay 
on  the  rocks;  the  eggs  one  or  two,  are  of  a  flesh  color, 
marked  with  crimson  spots.  The  young  birds  covered  with 
a  greyish-white  down,  are  assiduously  attended  by  the 
parents  who  are  then  tame,  and  easily  approached. 
When  alarmed,  like  Gulls,  they  as  readily  cast  up  the 
contents  of  their  pouch,  as  those  birds  do  of  the  stomach. 

The  length  of  the  Frigate  Pelican  is  about  3  feet ;  the  alar  stretch 
14.    The  bill  is  slender,  about  5  inches  long,  and  of  a  dusky  color ; 


*  AuovBoif  in  >U» 


OANNET8. 


493 


ftom  its  ba«e  spreadi  out  a  reddish  dark  colored  skin  on  either  aide 
of  the  head,  including  the  eyes.  From  the  under  mandible  hangs  a 
membranous  bag  descending  some  way  down  the  throat,  which  is  of 
a  fine  deep  red,  and  as  well  as  the  other  naked  parts  about  the  face 
most  brilliant  in  the  breeding  season  ;  on  the  sides  of  this  pouch  are 
sprinkled  a  few  scattered  feathers.  The  general  plumage  is  brown- 
ish-black, with  violet  reflections,  except  the  wing  coverts  which  have 
a  rufous  tinge.  The  tail  is  long  and  deeply  forked ;  the  outer  fea- 
thers 18  inches  or  more  in  length ;  the  middle  ones  fiom  7  to  8.  The 
legs  and  feet  are  dusky-red. 


Xj. 


GANNETS.     (SuLA,  Briss.   Temm.)     ^  ; ,  r  i 

The  bill  longer  than  the  head,  clefl  beyond  the  eyes,  robust,  con- 
ically  elongated,  very  stout  at  base,  compressed  towards  the  point, 
which  is  slightly  curved ;  the  edges  of  both  mandibles  serrulated. 
Nostrils  in  the  furrow  of  the  bill,  basal,  long  and  linear,  almost 
hidden.  Face  and  throat  naked  of  feathers.  Feet  short,  robust, 
drawn  up  into  the  abdomen  ;  toes  4,  all  connected  together  by  mem- 
branes, the  webs  full  and  entire ;  the  hind-toe  short,  articulated  inte- 
riorly ;  the  middle  nail  serrulated  on  its  inner  edge.  Wings  long 
and  acute,  1st  and  Sd  primaries  longest.  Tail  wedge-shaped,  of  12 
feathers. 

The  female  similar  to  the  male,  but  smaller.  The  young  changing 
their  plumage,  as  well  as  size  for  several  years  before  attaining  the 
livery  of  the  adult.  The  moult  annual.  On  the  throat  there  is  a 
small  pouch  or  enlargement  of  the  (Esophagus,  as  in  the  Pelican,  with 
which  the  birds  of  this  genus  have  been  formerly  confounded. 

The  Gannets  and  Boobys  have  been  tigmatised,  perhaps  unjustly, 
for  cowardice  and  stupidity,  suffering  themselves  sometimes  to  be 
taken  or  killed  without  much  show  of  resistance.  They  chiefly 
dwell  in  desert  and  rocky  islands  near  the  sea,  in  incredible  numbers, 
and  are  almost  constantly  on  the  wing,  flying  well,  and  keeping 
usually  at  no  great  distance  from  the  shore ;  proceeding  with  the 
neck  extended,  and  the  tail  spread  Though  provided  with  perfectly 
tvebbed  feet,  they  seldom  swim,  and  never  dive.  From  the  situation 
of  their  feet  they  walk  with  difliculty,  standing  nearly  erect,  and 
throwing  ia  the  assistance  of  their  rigid  tail  to  aid  in  supporting  the 
42 


494 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


body ;  they  are  unable  to  hse  on  wing  from  the  even  gronnd,  and 
hence  they  alight  on  elevated  cliffB  and  projections.  Caught  sud- 
denly in  a  situation  from  which  they  cannot  rise,  they  consequently 
fall  an  easy  and  perhaps  unresisting  prey  to  their  enemies,  and  may 
thus  be  hastily  considered  as  stupid  and  cowardly.  They  fish  by 
hovering  over  their  prey  with  still  and  expanded  wings,  and  descend- 
ing  seize  them  as  they  approach  the  surface  of  the  waves.  They 
remain  so  gregarious  in  the  breeding  season,  that  their  nests  touch 
each  other,  laying  their  eggs,  mostly  1  and  sometimes  2,  on  the 
rocks,  beeches,  or  high  ground  surrounded  by  the  sea.  The  young 
are  for  a  long  time  covered  with  very  soft  and  white  down. 

Some  of  the  species  are  spread  over  all  the  warm  and  temperate 
regions  of  the  earth ;  others  migrate  to  the  north  to  pass  the  sum- 
mer. The  races  are  extremely  few :  there  are  two  species  in  the 
United  States. 


-m;  .' 


\t 


■V:'  '••<:: 


'  '  '■''    '■., 


I  y-^^ 


yi'-r«'!. 


.  -**i  m,  i  ((    l(  ^VWttlmJU  .'tW 


'm-. 


nd, and 
;ht  aud- 
>quently 
,nd  may 
'  fish  by 
leBcend* 
.  They 
t8  touch 
,  on  the 
e  young 

imperate 
,he  sum- 
>g  in  the 


<:-.'>■:     ■  -.V'*  Ntt!  /l 


«•!   ,'■ '»»  f  ?.-: 


^y7^|fi<%i 


>rii 


fh 


GANNET. 


{Sula  bassana,  Lacepede.  Bonap.  Synope.  No.  359.  S.  alba,  Tehm. 
Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  005.  Pelecanus  bassanus,  Linn.  Lath.  Ind.  ii. 
sp.  26.  P.  maculatus,  Ghel.  sp.  32.  [young].  The  Gannet, 
Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  510.  Le  Fou  dfi  Bassan,  Buff.  PI.  En- 
lum.  278.  [adult].  Le  Fou  tacheU  de  Cayenne,  Bvrr.  Ois.  viii.  p. 
376.  Ib.  pi.  Enlum.  986.  [young].) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  White,  crown  yellowish ;  primaries  black,  the  shafla 
below  white ;  face  bluish.  —  Young  blackieh-brown,  spotted  with 
white;  beneath  brownish-cinereouj. 

The  Gannet  is  another  of  the  many  marine  birds  com- 
mon to  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  In  the  summer 
season  they  are  extremely  abundant  on  some  rocky  isles  in 
the  Bay  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  not  uncommon  on  the 
coasts  of  the  United  States,  especially  to  the  south  of  Cape 


406 


WED-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


Hatteras.  On  the  south  side  of  Long  Island,  and  the  neigh- 
bouring coast,  they  are  seen  in  numbers  in  the  month  of 
October,  associating  with  the  Velvet  and  Scoter  Ducks.  In 
the  summer  they  also  penetrate  into  the  Arctic  regions  of 
both  continents,  are  seen  on  the  coast  of  Newfoundland, 
and  occasionally  in  Greenland.  In  Iceland  they  breed  and 
are  seen  in  great  flocks.  They  are  also  equally  common  to 
the  north-west  coast  of  America. 

These  birds  abound  in  Norway  and  the  Hebrides,  parti- 
cularly on  some  of  the  least  accessible  of  the  islands.  Ac- 
cording to  Dr.  Harvey,  Bass  Island,  not  more  than  a  mile 
in  circumference,  has,  in  the  months  of  Muy  and  June, 
its  surface  almost  wholly  covered  with  nests,  ejf;;/s,  and  young 
birds,  so  that  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  walk  without  treading 
on  them ;  and  the  flocks  of  birds  are  so  prodigious,  when 
in  flight,  as  to  darken  the  air  like  clouds,  and  their  noise  so 
stunning  that  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  hear  your  next  neigh- 
bour. Looking  down  towards  the  sea  from  the  top  of  the 
precipice,  you  see  it  on  all  sides  covered  with  multitudes  of 
birds,  swimming  and  chasing  t)  r^r  prey  ;  and  if  in  sailing 
round  the  island  you  survey  the  hanging  clifls,  you  may 
see  on  every  crag,  or  fissure  of  the  rocks,  numberless  birds 
of  various  sorts  and  sizes ;  and  seen  in  the  distance,  the 
crowding  flocks  passing  continually  to  and  from  the  island 
can  only  be  compared  to  a  vast  swarm  of  bees. 

The  rocks  of  St.  Kilda  are  no  less  frequented  by  the 
Gannets,  and  Martin  assures  us,  that  the  inhabitants  of  that 
small  island  consume  annually,  no  less  than  22,000  young 
birds  of  this  species,  besides  a  vast  quantity  of  their  eggs, 
these,  being  in  fact,  their  principal  support.  This  supply, 
though  spontaneous  from  nature,  is  not  obtained  without 
imminent  hazard  of  life  to  those  who  engage  in  procuring 
these  birds  and  their  eggs  ;  as  besides  climbing  diflicult  and 
almost  inaccessible  paths  among  the  rocks  beetling  over  the 


GANNET. 


497 


neigh- 
>nth  of 
ks.  In 
ions  of 
ndland, 
led  and 
imon  to 

s,  parti- 
8.     Ac- 
L  a  mile 
d  June, 
id  young 
treading 
IS,  when 
noise  so 
jit  neigh- 
jp  of  the 
Etudes  of 
|n  sailing 
ou  may 
iss  birds 
ice,  the 
i  island 

by  the 
|s  of  that 
|o  young 
]ir  eggs, 
supply, 
1  without 
focuring 
suit  and 
lover  the 


sea,  they  sometimes  lower  each  other  down  from  above,  by 
ropes  in  baskets,  to  collect  their  game  from  the  shelvings 
and  fissures  of  the  rocks  chosen  by  these  sagacious  birds. 
The  young  are  a  favorite  dish  with  the  North  Britons  in 
general,  and  during  the  season  they  are  constantly  brought 
from  the  Bass  Isle  to  Edinburgh. 

As  might  be  supposed,  the  Gannets  are  in  these  islands 
birds  of  passage,  making  their  first  appearance  in  the  month 
of  March,  continuing  there  till  August  or  September,  ac- 
cording as  the  inhabitants  take  or  leave  their  first  egg;  but 
in  general,  the  time  of  breeding,  and  departing,  appears  to 
coincide  with  the  arrival  of  the  Herring,  and  its  migration 
out  of  those  seas.  It  is  probable  that  the  Gannets  attend 
the  herring  and  the  pilchard  during  their  whole  circuit  round 
the  British  islands;  the  appearance  of  the  former  being 
always  esteemed  by  the  fishermen  as  a  sure  presage  of  the 
approach  of  the  latter.  It  migrates  in  quest  of  food  as  far 
south  as  the  mouth  of  the  Tagus,  being  frequently  seen  off 
Lisbon  in  December,  plunging  for  Sardines. 

In  the  month  of  August,  Dr.  Harvey  observed  in  Cath- 
ness  their  northern  migrations ;  they  were  passing  the  whole 
day  in  flocks,  from  five  to  fifteen  in  each.  In  calm  weather 
they  fly  high ;  in  storms  they  proceed  lower  and  near  the 
shore  ;  but  never  cross  over  the  land,  even  when  a  bay  with 
its  promontories  intervenes,  but  follow,  at  an  equal  distance, 
the  course  of  the  bay,  and  regularly  double  every  cape. 
Many  of  the  moving  parties  would  make  a  sort  of  halt  for 
the  sake  of  fishing ;  for  this  purpose,  they  soar  to  a  great 
height,  then  darting  headlong  into  the  sea,  make  the  water 
foam  and  swell  with  the  violence  of  the  concussion,  after 
which  they  pursue  their  route.  With  the  arrival  of  the 
shoals  of  pilchards  in  the  latter  end  of  summer,  they  are 
seen  on  the  coast  of  Cornwall,  and  in  November,  when 
they  retire,  the  Gannets  mostly  disappear,  though   a  few 

42* 


i!!f«- 


406 


WED-FOOTED    BIROS. 


w 


linger  on  the  coast  throughout  the  winter.  An  individual 
killed  near  Mount's  bay,  made,  as  is  common  with  this  bird, 
a  long  Ntruggle  with  a  water  spaniel,  assisted  by  a  boatman, 
showing  himself  both  strong  and  pugnacious,  and  suffi- 
ciently redeeming  on  his  part  the  gannet  family  from  the  ill 
supported  charge  of  cowardice  and  stupidity. 

Many  years  ago,  a  Gannet  flying  over  Penzance,  and 
seeing  some  pilchards  lying  on  a  fir-plank,  in  a  cellar  used 
for  curing  fish,  darted  down  with  such  violence,  that  it 
struck  its  bill  through  the  board,  and  broke  its  neck.  ' 

These  birds  appear  to  have  a  strong  predilection  for  par- 
ticular spots.  On  the  Gannet  Rock,  in  the  Bay  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  they  are  seen  in  amazing  multitudes.  This  rock, 
(according  to  Audubon,  from  whom  we  derive  the  interest- 
ing information,)  is  400  feet  in  height,  and  several  acres  in 
extent  on  the  summit.  At  that  time,  the  8th  of  June,  it 
was  covered  with  innumerable  birds  upon  their  nests,  so 
crowded  or  closely  arranged  as  to  give  the  appearance  of  a 
huge  mass  of  snow,  while  the  hovering  crowds  seen  around 
this  inaccessible  marine  mountain,  forcibly  presented  at  a 
distance  the  actual  appearance  of  a  snow  storm.  While 
thus  engaged,  the  report  of  a  musket  did  not  seem  in  the 
least  to  alarm  them ;  and  defenceless,  while  obeying  this 
powerful  instinct,  they  allow  themselves  to  be  approached 
and  dispatched  without  using  any  means  for  escape,  ap- 
pearing riveted  to  the  spot,  while  engaged  in  the  affections 
and  cares  of  reproduction.  ■'->'■  *-?  mi-t  h*  <ji^fc 

:  The  nest  of  the  Gannet  is  composed  chiefly  of  sea-weed, 
and  generally  placed  upon  the  most  inaccessible  parts  of  the 
highest  rocks.  The  egg,  (only  one  being  laid  before  they 
hatch,)  is  white,  and  very  like  to  that  of  the  Cormorant,  but 
not  near  so  large  as  the  egg  of  the  Goose,  weighing  about 
3^  ounces. 

The  Gannet  seems  incapable  of  diving,  at  least  no  alarm 


can  fore 

ant  as  i 

never  gi 

of  tluiir 

compuls 

of  their 

with  so  I 

boat ;  bi 

Accordii 

are  so  co 

of  the  G 

it  posses; 

the  cavit' 

which  CO 

The  Gai 

about  (!  inc 

alive,  of  a 

is  a  sharp  f 

little  in  tlu 

naked,  duo 

which   is   1 

along  the  i 

is   unusual 

young^  of  ti 

without  spo 

parto,  and  : 

moult,  or  at 

are  of  a  gn 

late,  white  < 

brown,  bear 

each  other. 

tail  brown,  i 

ish-brown. 

yellowish. 

brown ;  the 

membranes  ( 


GANNBT. 


490 


can  forco  it  to  immerse.  Upon  the  water  it  swims  as  buoy- 
ant as  a  gull.  When  oflfcred  fish  they  will  take  it,  but  will 
never  ^o  into  a  pond  after  it :  and  from  every  appearance 
of  thojr  actions  on  water,  to  which  they  will  only  go  from 
compulsion,  they  cannot  procure  the  fish  beyond  the  extent 
of  their  neck.  At  certain  times  they  rise  from  the  water 
with  so  much  difficulty,  that  they  are  easily  run  down  by  a 
boat ;  but  when  thus  surprised  defend  themselves  with  vigor. 
According  to  Montagu,  it  is  destitute  of  nostrils,  or  they 
are  so  concealed  as  to  be  rendered  obsolete.  The  buoyancy 
of  the  Gannet  is  augmented  to  a  great  degree,  by  the  power 
it  possesses  of  transmitting  air  from  the  lungs,  not  only  into 
the  cavity  of  the  body,  but  also  into  the  cellular  membrane 
which  covers  a  great  part  of  its  exterior.  ..      ,i 

The  Gannet  is  about  3  feet  long;  the  alar  extent  G.  The  bill 
about  (>  inches  long,  of  a  soiled  yellowish-white  ;  when  the  bird  li 
alive,  of  a  bright  bluish-grey  ;  near  the  base  of  the  upper  mandible 
is  a  sharp  process  and  suture,  which  enables  the  bird  to  movi'  it  a 
little  in  the  act  of  swallowing  largo  fish.  Iris  pale  yellow.  Chin 
naked,  dusky.  Whole  plumage  white,  except  the  crown  of  the  head, 
which  is  buff  colored.  The  legs  dusky,  in  front  bluish-yellow; 
along  the  ridge  of  the  two  forward  toes,  the  connecting  membrane 
is  unusually  strong,  and  nearly  as  transparent  as  glass.  In  the 
young  of  the  year  the  upper  plumage  is  of  a  blackish-brown,  and 
without  spots.  Below  brown  varied  with  cinereous ;  the  bill,  naked 
parts,  and  iris  brown,  and  with  the  tail  rounded.  In  the  second 
moult,  or  at  the  complete  age  of  a  year,  the  head,  neck,  and  breast, 
are  of  a  greyish-brown,  covered  with  small,  approximating,  lanceo- 
late, white  spots ;  the  back,  rump,  and  wings  of  the  same  cinereous- 
brown,  bearing  large  white  lanceolate  spots,  but  more  distant  from 
each  other.  Below  whitish,  varied  with  grey-brown.  Wings  and 
tail  brown,  shafts  of  the  latter  white.  Naked  parts  of  the  face  blu- 
ish-brown. Bill  grey-brown,  but  whitish  towards  the  point.  Iris 
yellowish.  Front  of  the  tarsus,  and  upper  part  of  the  toes  greenish- 
brown  ;  the  streaks  upon  the  tarsus  and  toes  of  a  grey  white ;  the 
membranes  cinereous-brown,  and  the  nails  whitish.  —  At  two  years 


600 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


of  age,  individuals,  in  the  moult,  appear  covered  with  patches  of 
white  feathers  among  the  remainder  of  the  brown  livery  with  its 
white  spots. 


BOOBY. 

(Stula  fusca,  Briss.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  360.  Vieill.  Gal.  des  Ois- 
eaux,  pi.  277.  Pehcanus  sula,  Booby,  Caxesby,  i.  p.  87,  tab.  87. 
Linn.  Buff.  PI.  Enlum.  973.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Blackish-brown;  beneath  white;  primaries  black; 
face  red.  —  Young  spotted  with  white  and  brown. 

The  Booby  is  found  to  be  an  inhabitant  of  islands  and 
desolate  sea  coasts  throughout  all  the  warm  and  temperate 
parts  of  the  globe,  and  has  acquired  this  degrading  name 
from  its  silly  aspect,  and  peculiar  stupidity;  suffering  it- 
self to  be  taken  not  only  at  sea  on  the  ship's  yards,  but 
also  on  land,  where  they  may  be  dispatched  merely  with 
clubs  and  sticks,  in  great  numbers  one  after  the  other,  with- 
out seeming  to  take  any  general  alarm,  or  using  any  efficient 
effort  for  escape.  The  only  cause  that  can  be  assigned  for 
this  want  of  conservative  instinct,  so  general  and  prompt 
among  most  of  the  feathered  tribes,  is  probably  the  fact,  of 
the  difficulty  and  almost  impossibility  of  setting  their  long 
wings  into  motion  when  they  happen  to  be  surprised  on  level 
ground,  or  fatigued  with  undue  exertion.      , 

The  Boobies  however  have  a  domestic  enemy  more  steady 
though  less  sanguine  in  his  persecutions  than  man ;  this  is 
the  Frigate  Pelican  or  Man-of-War  Bird,  who,  with  a  keen 
eye  descrying  his  humble  vassal  at  a  distance,  pursues  him 
without  intermission,  and  obliges  him  by  blows  with  its 
wings  and  bill  to  surrender  his  finny  prey,  which  the  pirate 
instantly  seizes  and  swallows. 


itches  of 
with  its 


,  des  Ois- 
'.  tab.  87. 

3s  black; 

nds  and 
mperate 
ig  name 
ering  it- 
rds,  but 
|ely  with 

r,  with- 
lefficient 
:ned  for 

prompt 

fact,  of 
ir  long 

m level 

steady 

this  is 

I  a  keen 

lies  him 

nth  its 

pirate 


BOOBY. 


501 


The  Boobies,  however,  notwithstanding  this  tribute  to 
their  marine  monarch,  contrive  to  obtain  an  ample  supply 
of  provision.  They  commonly  hover  above  the  surface  of  the 
waves,  at  times  scarcely  moving  their  wings,  and  drop  on  a 
fish  the  instant  it  emerges  or  approaches  in  view.  Their 
flight,  though  rapid  and  long  sustained,  is  greatly  inferior 
to  that  of  the  Frigate  Bird ;  accordingly  they  do  not  roam 
so  far,  and  their  appearance  is  generally  hailed  by  mariners 
as  an  indication  of  the  approach  of  land.  Yet  numbers  are 
not  wanting  around  the  remotest  and  most  sequestered  isl- 
ands in  the  midst  of  the  wide  ocean.  There  they  live  in 
companies,  associated  with  Gulls,  Tropic  Birds,  and  their 
tyrannical  persecutor  the  Frigate,  who  appreciating  their 
assistance  as  providers,  dwell  and  rest  in  the  same  retreats. 

Dampier  remarks,  that  in  the  Alcrane  islands,  on  the 
coast  of  Yucatan,  the  Boobies  were  crowded  so  thick  that 
he  could  not  pass  their  haunt  without  being  incommoded  by 
their  pecking.  At  this  time  they  appeared  ranged  in  pairs 
as  if  preparing  to  breed.  When  he  struck  them,  some  flew 
away,  but  the  greatest  number  remained,  and  could  not  be 
roused  to  retreat  by  any  effort.  *  When  they  went  out  to  sea 
in  quest  of  provision,  in  common  with  their  neighbors  the 
Man-of-War  Birds,  they  appointed  sentinels  to  protect  their 
young.  Among  the  Frigates,  some,  (probably,  the  males 
after  incubation,)  lived  in  societies  apart  from  the  rest,  dis- 
persed to  situations  most  suitable  for  obtaining  pillage. 

The  Booby  utters  a  loud  cry,  something  in  sound  betwixt 
that  of  the  raven  and  the  goose  ;  and  this  quailing  is  heard 
more  particularly  when  they  are  pursued  by  the  Frigate,  or 
when  assembled  together  they  happen  to  be  seized  by  any 
sudden  panic.  As  they  can  only  begin  the  motion  of  their 
wings  by  starting  from  some  lofty  station,  they  usually  perch 
like  Cormorants ;  and,  in  flying,  stretch  out  the  neck,  and 
display  the  tail. 


.•«^«m  ^^ 


503 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


According  to  Dampier,  in  the  isle  of  Aves  they  breed  on 
trees,  though  in  other  places  they  nestle  on  the  ground,  and 
always  associate  in  numbers  in  the  same  place.  They  lay 
one  or  two  eggs ;  and  the  young  continue  for  a  long  time 
covered  for  the  most  part  with  a  very  soft  and  white  down. 
They  abound  on  rocky  islets  off  the  coast  of  Cayenne,  and 
along  the  shores  of  New  Spain  and  Carracca,  as  well  as  in 
Brazil  and  on  the  Bahama  islands,  where  they  are  said  to 
breed  almost  every  month  in  the  year.  The  flesh  is  black 
and  unsavory  ;  yet  sailors  frequently  make  a  meal  of  it.  In 
summer  they  are  not  uncommon  on  the  coasts  of  the  South- 
ern States. 

The  length  of  the  Booby  is  about  2  feet  5  inches ;  the  bill  4j 
inches  ;  the  tail  about  10.  The  orbits,  and  base  of  the  bill  yellow, 
its  point  brown.  Legs  straw  colored.  The  belly  white,  all  the  rent 
of  the  plumage  is  ashy-brown. 


TROPIC-BIRDS.     (Phaeton,  Linn.) 

In  these  the  bill  is  as  long  as  the  head,  hard,  much  compressed, 
convex  above,  straight  and  acute  at  the  tip ;  mandibles  equal ;  the 
upper  slightly  curved  towards  the  point,  the  margins  dilated,  sharp 
at  the  base  and  obliquely  serrulated.  Nostrils  basal,  concave,  nar- 
row, and  pervious.  Tongue  very  short.  Head  and  throat  wholly 
feathered.  Feet  very  short ;  tarsi  naked,  toes  4,  all  connected  to- 
gether by  membranes ;  hind  one  a  third  the  length  of  the  middle 
one :  webs  full  and  entire :  nails  moderately  curved,  acute,  the  inner 
edge  of  the  middle  one  entire.  Wings  long  ;  the  1st  primary  longest. 
Tail  short,  composed  of  12  or  14  feathers,  and  with  the  middle  pair 
very  narrow,  and  extremely  long. 

The  female  similar  in  plumage  with  the  male,  but  much  smaller. 
The  young  differ  much  from  the  adult,  and  oflen  change  their  ap> 
pearance.  They  moult  twice  in  the  year.  The  plumage  is  thick 
and  close,  and  its  color  generally  white. 


TROPIC    BIRD. 


503 


These  are  wandering  and  oceanic  birds  excelling  in  flight  and  in 
vision,  and  venturing  out  to  great  distances  from  the  land.  Unlike 
the  Frigate  Birds  they  are  able  to  repose  upon  the  sea,  though  they 
never  dive.  They  alight  on  trees,  rocks,  and  sometimes  on  the  rig> 
ging  of  vessels,  but  are  scarcely  able  to  walk.  They  associate  in 
families,  and  chiefly  frequent  remote  and  desert  islands.  They  feed 
mostly  on  the  flying-flsh,  which  abound  in  the  intertropical  seas,  and 
seize  them  by  grazing  the  surface  of  the  water.  They  nest  in  hoi- 
low  trees,  or  in  the  clefls  of  impending  rocks  :  the  eggs  are  2,  and 
the  young  are  at  flrst  clothed  with  a  white  and  soil  down.  Their 
appearance,  though  a  sure  indication  of  the  torrid  zone,  is  none  of 
the  proximity  of  land. 

As  their  common  name  implies,  these  are  tropical  birds,  and  in 
suitable  climates  appear  all  round  the  globe.  The  genus  is  com- 
posed  of  but  3  species ;  and  they  appear  to  be  allied  to  the  Terns. 


TROPIC  BIRD. 

(Phaeton  athereus,  Linn.  Lath.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  361.  Le  Grand 
Faille  en  cut,  Buff.  PI.  Enlum.  979.  and  998.  [young.]  Photon 
phcmicurus,  Yieill.  Gal.  des  Ois.  pi.  379.  [adult.]  Tropic  Bird, 
Rav,  Willughby,  and  Edwards.     Phil.  Museum,  No ) 

Sp.  Chakact.  —  White  varied  with  black ;  bill  red ;  tail  wedge- 
shaped,  composed  of  14  feathers. — ^dult  somewhat  tinged  with 
rose-red ;  the  long  tail  feathers  red. 

The  Tropic-Bird,  soaring  perpetually  over  the  tepid  seas, 
where  he  dwells  without  materially  straying  beyond  the 
▼erge  of  the  ecliptic,  seems  to  attend  the  car  of  the  sun 
under  the  mild  zone  of  the  tropics,  and  advertises  the  mar- 
iner with  unerring  certainty  of  his  entrance  within  the  tor- 
rid climes.  Yet  though  generally  confined  to  these  more 
favored  solar  realms,  which  he  widely  explores  to  their  ut- 
most bounds,  he  sometimes  strays  beyond  the  favorite  limit, 
and  hence  we  have  given  him  a  place  among  the  oceanic 


504 


WEB>FOOTED    BIRDS. 


birds  which  stray  in  summer  to  the  coasts  of  the  warmer 
States.* 

The  flight  of  the  Tropic-Bird  is  often  conducted  to  a 
prodigious  height,  at  which  in  every  season  it  can  obtain  a 
temperature  of  the  most  delightful  kind.     At  other  times, 
affected  by  the  ordinary  wants  of  nature,  he  descends  from 
his  lofty  station,  and  accompanied  by  an  ignoble  throng  of 
Frigates,  Pelicans  and  Boobies,  he  attends  the  appearance  of 
the  flying-fish  as  they  emerge  from  the  water,  pursued  by 
their  enemies  of  the  deep.     They  are  sometimes  observed 
to  rest  on  the  surface  of  the  sea ;  and  have  been  seen  in 
calm   weather,   upon  the  backs  of  the   drowsy  tortoises, 
supinely  floating,  so  that  they  have  been  easily  taken  by 
allowing  the   approach  of  a   boat.      On    shore   they  will 
perch  on  trees,  and  are  said  to  breed  on  the  ground  be- 
neath the  shade  of  the  adjoining  woods.    They  are  met  with 
on  the  islands  of  St.  Helena,  Ascension,  Mauritius,  New 
Holland  and  in  various  parts  of  the  South  Seas ;  but  in  no 
place  are  they  so  numerous  as  at  Palmerston  Island,  where, 
along  with  the  Frigates  they  appeared  in  such  plenty,  that  the 
trees  were  absolutely  loaded  with  them,  and  so  tame  or  list- 
less that  they  suffered  themselves  to  be   taken  from  the 
boughs  by  hand.      In  the  Sandwich  and  Friendly  Islands, 
where  they   also  abound,    the  natives  set   a  high  value 
on  the  long  tail  feathers  made  use  of  by  way  of  ornament, 
and  in  Otaheite  they  formed  a  conspicuous  part  of  the  osten- 
tatious garment  worn  by  mourners.     The  flesh,  though  ofl«n 
eaten  by  mariners  cannot  be  accounted  good. 

The  length  of  the  Tropic-Bird  is  about  2  feet  10  inches  to  the  tip 
of  the  long  tail  feathers ;  the  common  size  of  the  bird  being  about  that 
of  a  domestic  pigeon.    The  bill  is  upwards  of  3  inches  long  and  red. 


*  Kalm  oven  obsnrved  them  out  at  sea  off  the  coast  of  the  United  States  in  the 
latitude  of  Aa". 


DARTERS. 


^05 


The  head,  neck,  and  under  parts  of  the  body  arn  white,  in  the  adult 
strongly  tinged  with  rose  red.  Near  the  base  of  the  upper  mandi- 
ble begins  a  streak  of  black,  which  curves  round  the  upper  part  of 
the  eye,  and  ends  a  little  way  beJbund  in  a  straight  direction.  The 
back,  rump,  and  scapulars  white,  crossed  with  curved  streaks  of 
black :  the  lesser  wing  coverts  white,  some  of  them  transversely 
marked  with  black.  Greater  quills  black,  margined  with  white. 
Flanks  black,  or  varied  with  dusky  and  white.  Longer  tail  feathers 
about  5^  inches ;  the  2  longest  above  20  inches  in  length  and  point- 
ed, black  for  one  fourth  of  the  way  from  the  base  ;  the  rest  of  tho 
tail  white  in  the  young  bird,  but  red  in  the  adult.  Legs  dusky-yel- 
low, the  claws  black. 


tip 
Ihat 
led. 


DARTERS.     (Plotus,  Linn.) 

With  the  bill  longer  than  the  head,  slender,  straight,  conically 
lengthened,  acuminate,  much  compressed,  and  very  acute  ;  the  man- 
dibles equal;  the  edges  serrulated  obliquely  at  the  point;  upper 
mandible  wholly  straight,  the  margins  dilated  at  base,  compressed 
and  inflected  towards  the  point.  Nostrils  in  a  rudimental  furrow, 
basal,  linear,  and  scarcely  apparent.  Tongue  very  short.  Head  small 
and  lengthened ;  face  and  throat  naked  ;  neck  long  and  slender,  ser- 
pentine. Feet  short  and  stout,  the  tibia  drawn  up  into  the  belly  :  toes 
4,  all  connected  together  by  a  membrane,  the  web  broad  and  entire  ; 
hind  toe  half  as  long  as  the  outer;  nails  stout,  curved  and  acute,  the 
middle  one  pectinated  on  the  inner  edge.  Wings  moderate,  the  1st 
primary  equal  to  the  4th ;  the  2d  and  3d  longest.  Tail  long  and 
spreading,  composed  of  12  feathers ;  the  feathers  rigid,  broad  and 
rounded. 

The  sexes  alike  in  their  plumage  :  the  young  differing  much  from 
the  adult,  and  changing  their  feathers  repeatedly.  They  moult 
twice  in  the  year,  acquiring  additional  ornamental  feathers  in  the 
spring.  The  plumage  sofl,  close  and  downy ;  the  prevailing  color 
is  black. 

The  Darters  live  in  families,  are  extremely  shy  and  vigilant,  em- 
inently aquatic,  but  keep  in  fresh  water  at  a  distance  from  the  sea. 
They  never  walk,  nor  remain  long  on  wing,  but  perch  on  trees, 
43 


506 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


fVom  whence,  when  surprised,  they  plunge  directly  into  their  more 
natural  element,  swimming  very  deep,  with  the  head  only  elevated 
above  the  water,  and  instantly  submerging  that  also  on  the  least 
alaxm.  When  approached,  they  silently  drop  from  the  limbs  of  the 
trees  on  which  they  usually  perch  in  company,  and  sliding  into  the 
water,  reappear  at  a  distance,  transformed  as  it  were  into  snakes, 
for  which  the  head  when  alone  presented  might  easily  be  mistaken. 
They  feed  on  fish,  which  they  catch  by  darting  at  them  with  their 
sharp  bill  and  long  vibrating  neck.  They  nest  in  trees  and  lay  8  or 
more  eggs. 

These  singular  birds  are  confined  to  the  warm  parts  of  both  conti- 
nents ;  and  tha  species  are  only  two. 


BLACK-BELLIED  DARTER. 

(Plotus  OTihinga,  Linn.  Lath.  Ind.  p.  895.  sp.  1.    Boitap.  Synops. 

No.  862.    Plotus  melanogaster,  Wilson,  ix.  p.  79.  pi.  74.  fig.  1. 

[adult.]  and  p.  83.  pi.  74.  fig.  2.  [young.]  P.  melanogaateTf  Vixill. 
.     Gal.  des  Ois.  pi.  278.  [bad.]    Buff.  PI.  Enlum.  960.  and  959. 

[young.]  Colymbus  colubrinus,  (Snake  Bird),  BARTRAu'sTTtLyeUf 

p.   132.   and  295.     Phil.   Museum,  No.  3188.  [male.]  and  3189. 

[female].) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Black,  varied  with  hoary  :  scapulars  short,  lanceo- 
late ;  naked  space  on  the  throat  extensive  and  black.  —  MuU,  with 
the  belly  black.  Summer  plumage,  with  long  slender  black  feath- 
ers on  the  nape.  In  the  young  the  neck  and  beneath  is  whitish, 
tinged  with  pale  rufous. 

The  Snake-Bird,  or  Black-Bellied  Darter,  is  an  exclusive 
inhabitant  of  the  warmer  parts  of  the  Union,  being  found 
on  the  banks  of  retired,  still,  and  shady  rivers  in  low  and 
swampy  districts  in  both  Garolinas  as  far  as  Cape  Fear  river 
to  the  north;  in  Georgia,  Alabama,  Louisiana,  and  the 


■\ 


ha 


608 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


Floridas.  It  is  also  observed  in  Mexico,  Cayenne,  and 
Brazil.  No  bird,  in  the  situations  and  climates  it  inhabits, 
can  exhibit  a  more  suspicious  or  sinister  appearance  than 
the  Anhinga.  Its  long  and  dark  serpentine  neck  and  small 
head,  vibrating  backward  and  forward,  presents  entirely  the 
appearance  of  a  snake,  whether  seen  through  the  foliage  of 
a  tree,  or  emerging  from  the  still  and  sluggish  stream  in 
which  it  often  swims  with  the  body  wholly  immersed  to  the 
neck,  and  on  being  approached  or  startled  even  that  is  in- 
stantly withdrawn,  and  sweeping  beneath  the  flood  in  per- 
fect silence,  we  at  length  see  it  again  rise  at  a  distance 
which  defies  approach. 

The  projecting  limbs  of  trees  suspended  over  these  streams, 
in  the  most  retired  situations,  are  the  usual  perches  fre- 
quented by  the  Darters  when  not  engaged  in  fishing  and  div- 
ing afler  their  finny  prey.  Here  they  lurk  in  indolence  and 
solitude,  occasionally  sunning  und  dressing  their  plumage, 
and  like  the  patient  Heron,  they  sometimes  watch  in  silence 
the  approach  of  some  ill-fated  fish,  on  which  they  pounce 
with  accurate  aim,  swallowing  the  smaller  ones  at  a  single 
gulp,  and  bringing  out  the  larger  to  some  stump  or  log 
where  they  tear  it  up  with  their  claws  and  devour  it  piece- 
meal. When  approached,  they  drop  from  their  secret  re- 
treats or  perches  into  the  water  with  the  utmost  silence, 
scarcely  making  more  commotion  in  the  stream  than  the 
gliding  of  an  eel.  They  usually  build  in  low  trees  stretch- 
ing over  the  water  in  their  favorite  swamps,  lagoons,  or  riv- 
ers, and  sometimes  select  the  retirement  of  islands.  The 
nest  is  made  of  sticks  and  coarse  weeds,  and  the  eggs, 
probably  8  or  more,  are  said  to  be  of  a  sky  blue  color.  They 
are  so  attached  to  particular  localities  as  to  breed  for  a  series 
of  years  in  the  same  tree.  The  young  as  well  as  the  old, 
if  materially  disturbed,  drop  from  the  nest  into  the  stream 
over  which  they  are  usually  suspended,  in  perfect  silence, 


:JR'; 


BLACK-BELLIED   DARTER. 


609 


like  lumps  of  lead,  diving  often  entirely  beyond  the  view 
before  they  again  emerge.  According  to  Bartrara,  they 
are  sometime,  oeen  in  the  heat  of  the  day,  in  great  num- 
bers, sailing  very  high  in  the  air  over  the  lakes  and  rivers. 
Their  flesh,  like  thw.  "*  most  birds  of  similar  habits  and 
diet,  is  considered  as  very  unpalatable.  "^  ' 

The  len^h  of  the  Black-Bellied  Darter  is  about  2  feet  10  inches. 
The  bill  to  the  angle  of  the  mouth  4  inches.  The  head,  neck,  and 
whole  body  above  and  below  of  a  deep  and  shining  black,  with 
a  green  reflection.  On  the  upper  part  of  the  back  are  some  small 
oblong,  ashy-white  spots,  which  pass  down  the  shoulders,  increas- 
ing in  size,  with  the  relative  magnitude  of  the  feathers,  and  descend- 
ing down  the  scapulars.  Wings  and  tail  black,  the  latter  broadly  tip- 
ped with  soiled  white.  The  lesser  coverts  of  the  wings  glossed  with 
green,  and  also  spotted  with  ashy-white ;  the  last  row  of  the  lesser 
coverts,  and  the  coverts  of  the  secondaries,  chiefly  aihy-white, 
forming  a  large  bar  across  the  wing.  The  outer  web  of  the  large 
scapulars  is  crimped.  Tail  rounded,  the  two  outer  feathers  for  the 
greatest  part  of  their  length,  crimped  on  their  outer  webs,  the  two  next 
feathers  are  in  a  slight  degree  so.  Bill  dusky  above  and  at  the  base ; 
the  upper  mandible  brownish-yellow  at  the  sides,  the  lower  yellow. 
Irids  brown.  The  orbit  of  the  eye  next  to  the  plumage  of  the  head 
is  of  a  greenish -blue  color,  and  this  passes  round  in  the  form  ofjyjtig- 
zag  band  across  the  front,  the  next  color  which  surrounds  thtf^ole 
eye  is  black.  Eyelids  bright  azure.  Lores  greenish-blue.  Naked 
skin  in  front  black ;  jugular  pouch  jet  black.  The  nape  partly  crest- 
ed. Along  the  sides  of  the  neck  there  runs  a  line  of  loose  un- 
webbed  feathers  of  a  dull  ash  color,  resembling  the  plumage  of  '^al- 
low young. —  The  neck  near  its  centre,  takes  a  bend  in  order  to 
enable  the  bird  to  dart  forward  its  bill  with  velocity  when  it  takes  its 
prey.  Legs  and  feet  yellowish  clay  color :  claws  greatly  hooked. 
The  closed  wings  extend  to  the  centre  of  the  tail. 


HELIORNIS.     Bonaterre.   Vieill  (Podoa,  IlNg.) 

With  the  bill  of  moderate  dimensions,  straight,  cylindric-com- 
pressed,  subulate,  somewhat  curved  and  notched  at  ti^,  acute  ;  the 
43* 


■i_w.i"^il-.i.iJ!*siWi!', 


610 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


edges  sharp  ara  entire ;  mandibles  equal ;  the  upper  slightly  far* 
rowed  on  either  side  nearly  its  whole  length,  the  margins  dilated  at 
base.  Nostrils  in  iiie  furrow,  medial,  concave,  oblong,  pervious, 
covered  by  a  membiane,  but  open  in  the  middle.  Head  small,  en- 
tirely feathered  ;  neck  moderate,  slender.  Feet  short ;  tibia  almost 
entirely  leathered ;  hiind  toe  short,  touching  the  ground  at  tip  only ; 
connecting  membrane  much  indented,  very  deeply  scalloped,  merely 
bordering  the  anterior  toea ;  hind  toe  free  and  simple  :  naila  short, 
oorved,  and  acute.  Wings  moderate,  acute ;  2d  and  8d  primaries 
longest.    Tail  spreading,  composed  of  12  feathers. 

The  sexes  alike  in  plumage ;  but  the  young  differing  somewhat 
from  the  adult.  They  moult  twice  in  the  year,  but  scarcely  change 
the  colors  of  their  plumage.  The  feathers  thick,  close,  and  downy  ', 
the  colors  brownish. 

These  are  very  active  birds  residing  on  rivers  and  creeks.  They 
fly  well,  and  swim  and  dive  with  celerity.  They  walk  awkwardly 
and  scarcely  ever  rest  bat  on  their  favorite  element.  They  are 
often  in  the  habit  of  expanding  their  wings  and  tail.  As  might  be 
supposed  from  their  aquatic  life,  they  subsist  principally  on  fish, 
water  reptiles  and  winged  insects,  which  they  capture  in  the  air 
with  great  dexterity.  They  nest  on  the  ground,  in  marshes,  con- 
tiguous to  water.  —  They  are  confined  to  the  warm  portions  of 
America  and  Africa,  and  consist  of  two  f>ectional  species. 


SURINAM  DARTER. 

(Heliornis  surinamensis,  Vikill.  Bomap.  Synops.  No.  363.  Plotua 
funnamen^is,  Lath.  Ind.  Po<2oa  9unnamen5t>,  Illiger.  Le  (hebe- 
Fmilque,  Buff.  F1.  Enlum.  893.  Oi$eau  de  SoleU,  Descript.  Sa- 
rin, ii.  p.  192.    Surinrm  Tern,  Browm.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Brown,  beneath  whitish ;  sides  of  the  neck  striped 
with  black  and  white ;  bill  and  feet  dusky,  the  latter  barred  with 
black  ;  toes  semipalmated  ;  tail  .ounded,  with  the  feathers  broad. 

This  bird  inhabits  the  warmest  parts  of  America,  par- 
ticularly Surinam,  and  in  summer  is  an  accidental  visiter  in 
the  Middle  States  of  the  Union.    It  is  chiefly  seen  on  the 


DIVERS. 


511 


Rides  of  rivers  and  creeks,  feeding  on  small  fish,  as  well  as 
on  insects,  but  above  all  on  flies  which  it  seizes  with  great 
address  by  the  strokes  of  its  sharp  bill,  scarcely  ever  failing 
in  the  attempt.  It  is  often  domesticated  by  the  inhabitants, 
displaying  a  great  deal  of  action,  and  keeping  the  head  and 
body  in  continual  motion.  From  the  frequent  circumstance 
of  expanding  its  tail  and  wings  at  the  same  time,  it  has 
been  conceived  to  resemble  the  sun,  and  has  in  conse- 
quence, on  this  slender  ground,  acquired  the  name  of  the 
Sun  Bird. 

The  length  of  this  species  is  about  18  inches.  The  bill  an  inch 
and  an  eighth  long.  The  irids  red.  Crown  of  the  head  black,  the 
feathers  lengthened  into  a  small  crest.  The  head  itself  is  small ; 
and  the  neck  slender  and  long  in  proportion  to  the  body.  Cheeks 
bright  bay.  From  the  corner  of  each  eye  is  a  line  of  white .  The 
sides  and  hind  part  of  the  neck  longitudinally  marked  with  lines  of 
black  and  white.  Wings,  back  and  tail,  dusky-brown ;  the  first 
pretty  large,  extending  to  within  an  inch  of  the  tail  when  closed. 
Tail  wedge-shaped,  tipped  with  white ;  its  upper  coverts  remarka- 
bly long.  Breast  and  belly  white.  Legs  short,  and  rather  stout, 
pale  d^jky  ;  the  toes  barred  with  black. 


DIVERS.     (CoLYMBus,  Linn.) 

In  these  birds  the  bill  is  longer  than  the  head,  stout,  straight, 
nearly  cylindric,  compressed,  with  the  point  subulate  and  acute ; 
the  edges  bent  in,  sharp  and  entire;  upper  mandfble  somewhat 
rounded  above,  slightly  curved  at  the  point;  tho  lower  navicular 
and  straight.  Nostrils  basal,  lateral,  concave,  oblong,  pervious, 
half  covered  by  a  membrane.  Tongue  lanceolate,  fringed  backwards 
at  the  base.  Lores  feathered.  Fbet  large,  placed  far  back;  the 
tibia  almost  entirely  drawn  up  into  the  belly  :  tarsus  exceedingly 
compressed ;  anterior  toes  long,  wholly  palmated :  hind  toe  small, 
touching  the  ground  merely  at  tip,  connected  to  the  outer  by  a  very 
small  radimental  membrane.    J^ails  short,  compressed,  hind  one 


M 


51S 


WEB-FOOTED    UIRD8. 


■mall  and  acuminate.     IVings  moderate  ;  Ut  and  2d  primaries  lonf  • 
eit     Tail  very  ihort  and  rounded,  composed  of  18  to  20  feathers. 

The  sexes  alike  in  plumage.  The  young  differing  fVom  the  adult 
until  the  3d  or  4th  year.  They  moult  twice  in  the  year  without 
changing  the  colors  of  their  plumage.  The  feathers  thick ;  their 
colors  above  bright  and  glossy,  beneath  white. 

Although  the  greater  number  of  web-footed  birds  submerge,  the 
Divers,  and  the  succeeding  genera  of  this  great  order,  resort  to  the 
water  as  their  habitual  residence.  They  live  continually  upon  this 
element,  where  they  commonly  escape  our  sight,  because  they  often 
only  elevate  the  head  out  of  water  an  instant  to  respire  and  immedi- 
ately aflcr  submerge.  The  birds  of  the  present  genus  commonly  dive 
to  the  bottom  of  the  deepest  rivers  or  bays,  accompanying  their  pro- 
gress with  a  bubbling  of  the  air,  and  move  their  wings  beneath  the 
water  as  though  exercising  them  in  the  air,  they  strike  out  with 
their  feet  at  the  same  time  in  a  diagonal  direction,  and  dive  instan- 
taneously at  the  flanh  of  a  gun.  Their  migrations  are  oilen  per- 
formed by  water,  preferring  this  method  in  the  autumn  to  that  of 
using  their  wings,  t'lough  they  fly  in  breeding  time  at  a  considerable 
elevation  and  with  rapidity.  They  can  scarcely  be  said  to  walk, 
their  posture  on  their  legs  is  vertical,  but  unable  to  maintain  for  an 
instant  this  exact  balance,  thcy  fall  over  on  the  belly  and  supinely 
and  slowly  drag  themselves  over  the  surface  of  the  ground  by  succes- 
sive and  painful  jerks,  using  their  wings  oflen  as  a  kind  of  oars  to 
assist  their  inefficient  progress,  and  hence  their  common  name  of 
Loon.*  In  winter  they  generally  live  out  at  sea  in  bays  and  inlets, 
usually  accompanied  by  their  young  who  thus  associate  in  families. 
In  the  spring  they  separate  in  pairs,  and  seek  out  the  borders  of 
lakes  and  fresh  water  islets  in  which  to  breed  in  the  greatest  seclu- 
sion ;  the  nest  is  made  of  coarse  aquatic  weeds,  and  the  eggs  are 
usually  from  2  to  4.  The  young  follow  the  mother,  plunging  into 
the  water  when  the  nest  is  invaded.  The  voice  is  shrill,  mournful, 
and  monotonous.  They  feed  principally  on  fish,  which  they  take 
under  water,  and  devour  on  the  surface ;  they  also  prey  on  aquatic 
animals,  insects,  and  sometimes  on  vegetables  or  their  roots. 

They  inhabit  the  northern  hemisphere,  retiring  into  the  interior  as 
well  as  the  high  boreal  latitudes  to  breed.  The  species  are  about 
five.  V  i 


*  Or  Loom,  which  in  the  language  of  the  Laplanders  signlfles  lame,  aa  they  can- 
not walk  well. 


M- 


can- 


LOON,  OR  GREAT  NORTHERN  DIVER. 

(Cdymhua glacialis,  Linn.  Wilson,  ix.  pi.  74.  fig.  3.  [adult].  Bonap. 
Synops.  No.  8G8.  Rich,  and  Swains  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  474. 
TxMM.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  910.  Northern  Diver,  Penn.  Arct. 
Zool.  ii.  No.  439.  [adult]  and  Imber,  No.  440.  [young.]  L'Imhrin, 
ou  Grand  Plongeon,  Buff.  Ois.  viii.  p.  256.  t.  22.  Id.  Pi.  Enlum. 
052.  [a  good  figure  of  the  adult.]  Pknn.  Brit  Zool.  p.  189.  t.  K. 
2.  Phil.  Museum,  No.  32G2.  [mole  and  young]  and  82C3. 
[female].) 

8p.  Charact.  —  Bill  about  4^  inches  long  firom  the  rictus ;  upper 
mandible  straight;  the  lower  wider  in  the  middle, grooved  beneath, 
and  recurved :  tail  of  30  feathers. — Mult  black,  speckled  with 
Mrhite ;  beneath  white  ;  head  and  neck  glossy  black  ;  with  a  white 
interrupted  collar  and  gular  band.  Young  wholly  brownish ;  be- 
neath white. 

The  Loon,  the  most  common  of  its  tribe  in  the  United 
States,  is  a  general  inhabitant  of  cold  and  temperate 
climates,  throughout  the  whole  norther-  ,^'^imisphere.  It  is 
found  in  the  north  of  Europe,  and  spreatH^*  >ng  the  Arctic 
coasts  as  far  as  Kamtschatka,  Nootka  Sound,  and  the 
mouth  of  the  Ob.     It  dwells  on  the  dreary  coast  of  Spitz- 


irf^ltt^iMii- ■--— 


614 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


bergen,  Greenland,  Iceland,  and  Hudson's  Bay.  It  abounds 
in  all  the  lakes  of  the  fur  countries,  where,  as  well  as  in  the 
interior  of  the  most  northern  of  the  States,  and  probably  in 
the  inland  seas  of  the  St.  Lawrence  along  the  whole  Cana- 
dian line,  they  pass  the  period  of  reproduction.  They  have 
been  known  to  breed  as  far  south  as  the  Farn  Isles  on  the 
coast  of  Northumberland  along  with  the  Eider  Ducks,  with 
which  they  also  associate  on  the  shores  of  Labrador.*  In 
the  Hebrides  they  are  common  in  the  summer  season, 
as  well  as  in  Norway,  Sweden  and  Russia,  from  all  which 
countries  they  seldom  migrate  to  any  considerable  distance, 
being  only  accidental  passengers  on  the  coasts  of  the  Ocean ; 
the  young  only  are  seen,  and  rarely,  on  the  lakes  of 
Germany,  France  and  Switzerland,  but  in  those  regions  the 
old  are  unknown.  In  the  United  States,  from  the  superior 
severity  of  the  winters,  the  young,  and  even  occasionally  the 
dd,  are  seen  to  migrate  nearly  if  not  quite  to  the  estuary  of 
the  Mississippi, 

The  Loon,  cautious,  vigilant,  and  fond  of  the  security  at- 
tending upon  solitude,  generally  selects  with  h^s  mate,  some 
lonely  islet,  or  the  borders  of  a  retired  lake  far  from  the 
haunts  of  men,  here  on  the  ground,  contiguous  to  the  water, 
they  construct  their  rude  and  grassy  nest.  About  the  11th 
of  June,  through  the  kindness  of  Doctor  T.  W.  Harris,  I 
received  3  eggs,  which  had  been  taken  from  the  nest  of  a 
Loon,  made  in  a  hummock,  or  elevated  grassy^faillock,  at 
Sebago  pond,  in  New  Hampshire.  These  were  about  the 
size  of  the  eggs  of  a  goose,  of  a  dark  smoky  olive,  coarsely 
blotched  nearly  all  over  with  umber  brown  spots!  The 
males,  afler  the  period  of  incubation,  secede  from  their 
mates,  and  associ^t^  by  themselves  in  the  bays  and  estu- 
ries  near  to  the  .^u.     They  soon  afler  moult,  and  become  so 

*  Audubon. 


t,.^»-«s-.^«-^  ..*-• 


LOON,  OR    GREAT   NORTRERII    DIVER. 


515 


bare  of  feathers  as  to  be  unable  to  rise  from  the  water. 
The  young,  after  being  duly  attended  by  the  female  parent, 
disperse  with  her  towards  the  sea.  Instinctively  warned  of 
the  approach  of  frost,  they  avoid  its  consequences  by  slow 
but  efficient  migrations.  As  soon  as  the  fish  begins  to  fail, 
the  young  unable  or  unwilling  to  fly,  are  sometimes  seen 
waddling  from  one  pond  to  another,  and  in  this  situation  are 
easily  captured,  as  they  refuse,  or  are  incapacitated  to  rise 
from  the  ground.  When  approached,  they  utter  a  long 
drawn  melancholy  scream,  like  6  66h,  with  a  shrill  loud, 
sighing  and  rising  note.  Now  and  then,  as  if  acall  upon  the 
parent,  the  tone  is  broken  almost  in  the  manner  of  running 
the  finger  across  the  mouth  while  uttering  a  sound.  A 
young  bird  of  this  kind  which  I  obtained  in  the  salt  marsh 
at  Chelsea  Beach,  and  transferred  to  a  fish  pond,  made  a 
good  deal  of  plaint,  and  would  sometimes  wander  out  of  his 
more  natural  element  an^  hide  and  bask  in  the  grass.  On 
these  occasions,  he  lay  very  still  until  nearly  approached, 
and  then  slid  into  the  pond  and  uttered  his  usual  plaint. 
When  out  at  any  distance  he  made  the  same  cautious  efforts 
to  hide,  and  would  commonly  defend  himself  in  great  anger, 
by  darting  at  the  intruder,  and  striking  powerfully  with  his 
dagger-like  bill.  This  bird,  with  a  pink  colored  iris  like 
albinos,  appeared  to  suffer  from  the  glare  of  broad  day-light, 
and  was  inclined  to  hide  from  its  effects,  but  became  very 
active  towards  the  dusk  of  evening.  The  pupil  of  the  eye- 
in  this  individual,  like  that  of  nocturnal  animals,  appeared 
indeed  dilatable ;  and  the  one  in  question  oflen  put  down  his 
head  and  eyes  into  the  water  to  observe  the  situation  of  his 
prey.  This  bird  was  a  most  expert  and  indefatigable  diver, 
and  would  remain  down  sometimes  for  several  minutes,  oflen 
swimming  under  water,  and  as  it  were  flying,  with  the  velo- 
city of  an  arrow  in  the  air.  Though  at  length  inclined  to 
be  docile,  and  showing  no  alarm  when  visited,  it  constantly 


616 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


betrayed  its  wandering  habit,  and  every  night  was  found  to 
have  waddled  to  some  hiding  place,  where  it  seemed  to 
prefer  hunger  to  the  loss  of  liberty,  and  never  could  be 
restrained  from  exercising  its  instinct  to  move  onwards  to 
some  secure  or  more  suitable  asylum. 

Far  out  at  sea  in  winter,  and  in  the  great  western  lakes, 
particularly  Huron  and  Michigan  in  summer,  I  have  ofl^i 
heard  on  a  fine  calm  morning,  the  sad  and  wolfish  call  of 
the  solitary  loon,  which  like  a  dismal  echo  seems  slowly  to 
invade  the  ear,  and  rising  as  it  proceeds,  dies  away  in  the  air. 
This  boding  sound  to  mariners,  supposed  to  be  indicative 
of  a  storm,  may  be  heard  sometimes  for  two  or  three  miles, 
when  the  bird  itself  is  invisible,  or  reduced  almost  to  a 
speck  in  the  distance.  The  aborigines,  nearly  as  supersti- 
tious as  sailors,  dislike  to  hear  the  cry  of  the  Loon,  con- 
sidering the  bird  from  its  shy  and  extraordinary  habits  as  a 
sort  of  oupernatural  being.  By.  the  Norwegians  its  long 
drawn  howl,  is,  with  more  appearance  of  reason,  supposed 
to  portend  rain.  Judging  however  from  the  young  bird, 
already  mentioned,  this  expression,  like  that  of  other  fowls, 
indicated  nothing  beyond  the  humble  wants  or  social  com- 
munication of  the  species. 

The  flesh  of  the  Loon  is  dark,  tough,  and  unpalatable, 
yet  the  young  birds  are  frequently  seen  in  the  markets  of 
New  York  and  Boston,  and  are  therefore  no  doubt  some- 

*  times  eaten.  Some  of  the  Russian  Tartars  on  the  Ob  and 
the  Irtisch  tan  the  breasts  of  this  and  other  water  fowl, 
preserving  the  down  upon  them,  and  seviring  them  together, 
sell  them  for  garments,  and  caps.  The  Greenlanders,  as 
well  as  the  aborigines  round  Hudson's  Bay,  and  on  the 

'banks  of  the  Columbia  river,  employ  their  skins' as  articles 
of  dress  or  of  decoration  ;  and  the  Indians  of  the  Missouri 
and  Mississippi  also  oflen  ornament  the  sacred  calumet  with 
^  the  brilliant  neck  feathers  of  this  and  other  species. 


vm 


BLACK-THROATED   DIVER. 


* 
f, 


The  length  of  the  Loon  ii  about  2  feet  8  or  10  inches.  The  head, 
neck,  and  tail  coverta  glossed  with  deep  purplish-green,  on  a  black 
ground.  A  short  transverse  bar  on  the  throat,  a  collar  on  the  middle 
of  the  neck,  interrupted  above  and  below,  and  the  shoulders,  white, 
broadly  striped  on  the  shafts  of  the  feathers  with  black.  Whole 
upper  plumage,  wings,  sides  of  the  breast,  flanks,  and  under  tail 
coverts,  black ;  all,  except  the  quills  and  tail,  marked  with  a  pair  of 
white  spots  near  the  tip  of  each  feather :  these  spots  form  rows,  and 
are  large  and  quadrangular  on  the  scapulars  and  interscapulars, 
round  and  smaller  elsewhere,  least  on  the  rump.  Under  plumage 
and  inner  wing  coverts  white;  the  azillaries  striped  down  their 
middles  with  black.  Bill  and  legs  black.  Irides  brown,  (often 
blood  red.) 

In  the  young  of  the  year,  the  head,  occiput,  and  all  the  inferior 
parts  of  the  neck  are  ashy-brown;  small  ashy  and  white  points 
upon  the  cheeks.  Throat,  fore  part  of  the  neck  and  the  other  lower 
parts  pure  white.  Feathers  of  the  back,  wings,  rump,  and  flanks, 
dark  brown  in  the  middle,  bordered  and  edged  with  bluish-ash. 
Upper  mandible  of  the  bill  ash-grey,  the  lower  whitish.  Iris  pur- 
plish-red. Feet  dark  brown  externally,  interiorly,  as  well  as  their 
membranes  whitish.  It  is  then  Colymbus  immer,  Ghel.  i.  p.  568. 
sp.  6. 


1- 


.;■;'  :U,)S 


>ry(f''fyM^r  -^vti-i. 


:-,   '<>,. 


BLACK-THROATED  DIVER. 


-.4'iv 


(Colymbus  arcticus,  Linn.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  6U0.  sp.  4.  Bonap. 
Synops.  No.  369.  Temm.  ii.  p.  913.  Rich,  and  Swains.  North. 
Zool.  ii.  p.  475.  Black-throated  Diver,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p. 
No.  444.  The  Speckled  Diver,  or  Loon,  Edwards,  pi.  146.  [adult 
from  Hudson's  Bay.]  Le grand  Plongeon,  Bdff.  Pi.  Enlum.  914. 
[young].     Naom,  vbg.  Nachtr.  t.  30.  f.  60.  [adult  male].) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  The  bill  from  the  rictus  about  3j^  inches  long;  the 
upper  mandible  slightly  curved ;  lower  not  wider  in  the  middle 
than  at  base,  and  without  groove  beneath ;  tail  of  18  feathers.  — 
MuU  black,  slightly  marked  with  white,  the  back  unspotted ;  be- 
neath white ;  head  greyish-brown ;  the  neck  beneath  glossy  black, 
with  a  stripe  on  each  side  of  it  marked  with  white.  Young  ashy- 
brown  ;  beneath  white ;  a  blackish  band  often  on  the  sides  of  the 
neck. 

44 


w 


"> 


518 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


This  species,  common  to  the  hyperboreal  parts  of  both 
contments,  is  much  more  rare  in  the  United  States  than  the 
preceding,  and  though  frequent  near  the  shores  of  Hudson's 
Bay  is  seldom  seen  in  the  interior  of  the  fur  countries.  It 
abounds  in  the  northern  parts  of  Europe,  Norway,  Sweden, 
and  Denmark,  in  the  inland  lakes  of  Siberia,  especially 
those  of  the  Arctic  regions;  it  is  also  seen  in  Iceland, 
Greenland  and  the  Feroe  Isles.  They  are  held  in  super- 
stitious regard  by  the  Norwegians,  who  believe  their  cry  to 
jfortend  rain.  The  skins  of  this  and  other  species,  being 
tough  and  impervious  to  wet,  are  used  by  the  Indians  and 
Esquimaux  as  well  as  by  the  Norwegians  for  articles  of 
dress. 

The  Arctic  Diver  is  an  autumnal  and  winter  bi^-d  of  pas- 
sage in  England,  Germany  and  Holland,  more  Dare  upon 
the  interior  lakes  of  France ;  but  common  upon  those  of 
Switzerland.  They  live  on  fish,  frogs,  insects  and  aquatic 
plants ;  nest  in  the  reeds  and  herbage  upon  the  borders  of 
lakes  and  in  marshes,  preferring  those  which  are  much  in- 
tersected by  waters ;  they  are  said  to  lay  2  eggs,  which  are 
:  brown,  marked  with  scattered  black  spots.  ,  ,,^ 

The  length  of  the  Black  Throated  Diver  is  abi^at  26  inches ;  the 
wing  11  inches.  The  forehead,  back,  wings,  tail,  flanks,  and  thigh 
feathers,  are  black.  The  scapulars  and  shoulders  marked  with  trans- 
verse white  spots,  v>d  the  wing  coverts  with  round  spots.  Hind- 
head  and  back  of  the  neck  ash-colored  ;  sides  of  the  latter  and  of 
the  breast  white,  streaked  with  black.  Fore  pp,rt  of  the  neck  black, 
reflecting  purple  and  green.  The  under  tail  coverts  barred  witl\ 
black  :  the  rest  of  the  under  plumage  white. 

The  young  closely  resemble  those  of  C.  glacialis,  but  may  be  dis- 
tinguished by  their  inferior  size,  and  the  character  of  the  bill  as 
already  given. 


V\ 


^^. 


'■n!..\   iV«?  «":;;'-■/    »;•-/.•»>      iiis..J;  .v!if  J    '-    • 


Sp. 


RED-THROATED  DIVER. 


619 


st»«J 


RED-THROATED  DIVER. 

(Colymbus  s^tentrionediSf  Linit.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  801.  sp.  5.  Bonaf. 

Synops.  No.  370.  Tehm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  916.  Rich,  and  Swaihi. 
^  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  476.  Vieill.  Gal.  dea.  Ois.  282.  [adult.]  Red* 
<    Throated  Ducker  or  Loon,  Edwards,  pi.  97.  Pbitn.  Arct.  Zool. 

ii.  No.  443.  Le  Plongeon  it  Gorge  Rouge,  Buff.  PI.  Enlum. 
'  308.  [adult].  Colymbus  striatus,  C.stdlatus,  and  C.  boreaUs,  [dif- 
'f  ferent  states  of  the  young].  Le  Petit  Plongeort,  Bdff.  Ois.  viii.  p. 
»  254.   tab.   21.    Id.   PI.  Enlum.  992.    [young].    Speckled  Diver, 

Pehn.  Brit.  Zool.  p.  189.  t.  K.  [youug].) 

Sp.  Charact. — The  bill  (from  the  rictus)  about  3  inches  long, 

^  slightly  recurved ;  the  edges  much  inflected ;  the  lower  mandible 

grooved:  tail  composed  of  20  feathers.  —  .^(2tJt  blackish,  beneath 

white,  head  and  neck  lead-colored ;  the  neck  beneath  with  a  long 

reddish  stripe.     Young  ashy-brown,  with  minute  marginal  spots 

I   on  the  dorsal  plumage ;  beneath  white. 

'  This  species  is  again  a  general  inhabitant  of  the  north- 
ern regions  of  both  continents ;  from  whence  few  migrate 
to  any  great  distance,  except  the  young,  and  these  are  seen 
not  uncommonly  .along  the  coasts  of  the  United  States  in 
the  course  of  the  winter.  According  to  Richardson,  they 
frequent  the  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay  up  to  the  extremity  of 
Melville  Peninsula,  and  are  also  abundant  on  the  interior  lakes 
where  they  breed.  The  eggs  are  2,  laid  on  a  little  down, 
by  the  margin  of  the  water,  and  are  of  a  pale  oil-green  color, 
35  lines  long  by  21  wide.  Temminck  however,  describes 
the  eggs  as  of  an  olive-brown,  marked  with  a  few  brown 
spots.  *  Mr.  Audubon  found  them  nesting  on  the  coast  of 
Labrador  near  small  fresh-water  lakes.  The  food  is  similar 
with  that  of  the  preceding  species.  Fleming  says  that  they 
breed  in  Zetland  and  the  Orkneys.  In  Greenland  and  Ice- 
land they  also  lay  among  the  herbage  on  the  shores  con- 
tiguous to  water,  and  make  a  nest  of  moss  and  grass, 
lining  it  with  down.     The  young  of  this  species,  called  the 


1 


\» 


I  '. 


680 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


Cobble,  is  frequently  seen  in  England  in  the  winter,  in  bays 
and  inlets,  and  sometimes  in  fresh  water  rivers  and  lakes. 
In  the  river  Thames  it  attends  the  arrival  of  the  sprats  on 
which  it  feeds,  and  is  hence  known  to  the  fishermen  by  the 
name  of  the  Sprat  Loon.  From  their  diving  habits  they  are 
frequently  taken  in  the  fishing  nets  to  which  they  are 
attracted  by  their  contents.  They  fly  well,  and  dive  and 
■wim  with  remarkable  dexterity,  and  while  proceeding  in  the 
air  are  said  to  be  sometimes  very  noisy.  At  Hudson's  Bay 
the  young  fly  before  the  end  of  August,  and  the  whole 
commence  their  migrations  in  the  course  of  September. 
They  are  common  also  to  the  Baltic  and  the  White  Sea, 
and  are  found  in  the  inclement  regions  of  eastern  Asia,  as 
in  Kamtschatka  and  Siberia. 


The  length  of  the  Red-Throated  Diver  is  aboat  29  inches; 
the  wing  11  inches  S  lines;  the  bill  above  2  inches  2  lines;  from 
the  rictus,  3  inches  1  line ;  tarsus  3  inches ;  middle  toe  the 
same  length.  The  head,  chin,  and  sides  of  the  neck,  lead-color; 
centres  of  the  plumage  on  the  top  of  the  bead  blackish.  Front 
of  the  neck  occupied  by  a  stripe  that  widens  downwards,  of  rich 
cochineal  or  purplish-red.  Hind  head,  back  of.  the  neck,  shoulders, 
•nd  sides  of  the  breast,  greenish-black,  striped  on  the  margins  with 
white.  Dorsal  plumage  and  wings  pitch-black ;  narrow  space  under 
the  wings  and  under  tail  coverts  also  black,  with  whitish  borders. 
Under  plumage  and  inner  wing  coverts  white ;  the  axillary  feathers 
striped  on  the  shafls  with  blackish-brown.  Bill  black.  Legs  black- 
iah-green.  —  Adult  individuals  vary  much  in  length,  some  being  4 
inches  shorter  than  the  above.  Foun^  birds  have  the  dorsal  plumage 
interspersed  with  minute  marginal  spots,  there  being  a  pair  near 
the  tip  of  each  feather. 


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»C  ',:-*^''<'-:t!'-  ■•^JTV«":<  i'--^.  ■■■>'^ts.j»' 


In  a?/  ^Ae  following  genera  the  feet  are  S-toed. 


GUILLEMOTS.      (Uria,  Briss.  Alca,  Linn.)       " 

With  the  bill  moderate,  or  short,  robust,  straight,  acute  and 
compressed,  the  base  feathered ;  upp'-r  mandible  convex,  somewhat 
curved  >  '■  tl  nt,  notched;  thelowe  ^J.v  i.!y  navicular;  the  mar- 
gins c.  )th  f  ;  and  inflected.  Nostrils  nearly  basal,  lateral, 
concave,  longitudinal,  linear,  pervious,  covered  partially  by  the 
feathers  of  the  front  advancing  far  on  the  bill.  Tongue  linear,  acute, 
entire.  Head  depressed,  narrowed  before,  and  rounded  behind,  neck 
short.  Feet  placed  very  far  back,  the  lower  extremity  only  of  the 
tibia  apparent;  tarsus  one  fourth  shorter  than  the  middle  toe, 
slender,  compressed,  carinated  anteriorly :  webs  not  very  broad. 
Jiaits  compressed,  somewhat  curved,  acute ;  the  middle  one  larger, 
dilated  internally  into  a  sharp  edge.  Wings  short,  narrow  and 
acute ;  the  1st  primary  longest.  Tail  very  short,  rounded,  composed 
of  12  feathers. 

The  plumage  of  the  sexes  similar,  but  the  female  smaller.  The 
young  diiFering  from  the  adult,  but  almost  similar  to  their  winter 
dress.  They  moult  twice  in  the  year,  changing  the  colors  of  their 
plumage ;  which  is  generally  in  masses  of  black  and  white. 

The  Guillemots  and  other  birds  of  this  natural  order,  forming  a 
sort  of  final  link  in  the  chain  of  the  feathered  tribes,  with  their 
ignoble  mein,  and  furtive  habits,  seem  condemned  to  dwell,  or  rather 
to  animate  the  most  dreary  wastes  of  the  Arctic  and  polar  regions. 
Surrounded  by  an  eternal  winter,  and  dwelling  amidst  barriers  of 
ice  which  deny  existence  to  almost  every  other  animal,  they  seek 
refuge  on  the  bosom  of  the  ocean,  where  they  perpetually  reside,  and 
only  relinquish  this  their  natural  element,  at  the  important 
season  of  reproduction.  Under  the  brilliant  sky  of  the  still  chilling 
hyperboreal  summer,  they  take  possession  of  the  desert  islets,  and 
lofty  and  precipitous  rocks  near  the  sea,  in  whose  clefls  they  are 
seen  crowding  with  discordant  din,  and  swarming  like  bees.  In  haste 
to  secure  their  precarious  progeny,  they  sit  immediately  on  their 
only  egg,  and,  without  the  trouble  or  delay  of  providing  a  nest,  they 
hatch  upon  the  naked  rock.  The  ocean  is  their  softest  bed,  they 
44* 


\,\ 


622 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


■caroelj  seek  repose  upon  the  land,  and  their  young,  as  themselves, 
fed  on  fish,  find  an  inexhaustible  fare  in  their  favorite  element,  to 
which  they  are  instantly  conducted  as  soon  as  delivered  from 
the  prison  of  their  shell  and  their  irksome  exposure  on  the  rocks. 
Like  the  Divers,  whose  necessities  scarcely  call  them  to  the  land, 
they  walk  with  the  utmost  difficulty,  and  then  only  across  some  bar- 
rier of  ice ;  but  in  the  water  they  are  as  alert  as  they  are  impotent 
on  the  ground.  They  swim  and  dive  in  a  manner  wholly  unrivalled ; 
pursuing  their  finny  prey  as  if  flying  in  the  air,  exercising  their 
wings  in  the  water  no  less  than  their  oar-like  feet ;  they  dive  even 
beneath  the  ice,  and  thus  find  means  to  subsist  in  the  most  inclem- 
ent season.    In  the  extremity  of  the  terrific  winters  which  reign 

•^  in  their  natal  regions,  they,  however,  sometimes  find  a  necessity  to 

migrate  to  the  open  seas  of  the  colder  parts  of  the  continent,  but 

their  presence  is  constantly  rare  in  moderate  climates,  even  in  the 

winter.    In  storms  they  seek  the  shelter  of  their  chosen  rocks,  or 

'  the  caverns  of  the  ice-bergs.    Their  flight,  though  short,  is  rapid,  and 

'  just  elevated  above  the  surface  of  the  waves ;  they  traverse  and 

climb  the  rocks  on  which  they  dwell  by  leaping  and  fluttering 
from  point  to  point.  Their  principal  food  at  all  periods  consists 
of  fish ;  and  notwithstanding  this  marine  diet,  the  young  and  the 
eggs  are  esteemed  as  food.  The  eggs,  in  all  this  family  of  Alca- 
DJE,  are  remarkable  for  the  thickness  and  dulness  of  the  shell. 

The  Guillemots  principally  inhabit  the  Arctic  seas,  and  the  coldest 
of  climates,  from  whence   they  migrate   in   winter  to  more  tempe- 
''      rate  coasts.    The  genus  consists  at  present  of  but  5  well  ascertained 
species  common  to  the  whole  northern  hemisphere. 


rSv^-^i-aWT' 


)  ! 


jf^.  Subgenus.  —  Uria.  Bonap. 

With  the  bill  longer  than  the  head,  straight,  compressed,  sub- 
ulate, even.     Nostrils  linear. 

t  Extreme  tip  of  the  upper  mandible  slightly  drooping. 

The  colors  black,  presenting  many  changes  in  the  moulting :  the 
dress  of  the  at^ult,  is  said,  to  be  only  acquired  in  the  4th  year.  The 
eggs,  in  the  birds  of  this  section  are  one  to  three.     ,   -.   - 


t'.. 


h^'fx' 


•.;■:  s; 


BLACK   GUILLEMOT. 


533 


..-v 


,1     X^. 


kb- 


Ihe 

Ihe 


BLACK  GUILLEMOT. 

(Vria  grylle,  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  797.  sp.  2.  Tkmm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii. 
p.  925.  BoNAP.  Synopg.  No.  377  P:ch.  and  Swains.  North. 
Zool.  ii.  p.  478.  Vixill.  Gal.  des  Oia.  pi.  294.  Black  Guille- 
mot, Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  487.  Black  Greenland  Doye, 
Edwards,  pi.  50.  [small  figure].  Spotted  Greenland  Dove,  Ibid. 
[front  figure,  a  moulting  individual].     Spotted  Guillemot,  Pknh. 

,'  Brit.  Zool.  ii.  pi.  88.  fig.  2.  Vria  baltica  and  U.  grylloidet, 
Brvnn.  Orn.  Boreal,  p.  28.  No.  114.  115,  and  116.  f  uoiilting 
individuals].  U.  lacteola,  Lath.  ii.  sp.  3.  (Cepktis  lacteoltts, 
Pallas.)  [an  albino?].) 

8p.  Chakact.  —  A  large  white  space  on  the  middle  of  the  wingt : 
the  feet  red.  —  Summer  plumage  entirely  black,  wing  coverts 
white.     Winter  dress,  black,  with  the  cheeks  and  beneath  white. 

The  Black  Guillemot  is  a  general  inhabitant  of  the 
whole  Arctic  seas  of  both  continents.  It  has  even  been 
called  the  dove  of  Greenland,  being  common  in  that  country, 
as  well  as  on  the  still  more  dreary  coasts  of  Spitzhergen. 
In  the  hyperboreal  seas  and  straits  of  America  they  also 
abound,  from  the  inclement  shores  of  Melville  Island  down 
to  Hudson's  Bay,  and  Labrador.  According  to  Mr.  Audu- 
bon they  also  breed  on  the  isle  of  Grand  Manan  in  the 
Gulf  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  Like  the  other  Guillemots  they 
are  entirely  marine,  never  going  inland,  and  rarely  seek  the 
coast  but  for  the  indispensable  purpose  of  reproduction.  In 
the  cold  and  desolate  regions  of  the  north,  abandoned  by 
nearly  every  other  animal,  the  Guillemots,  though  in  dimin- 
ished  numbers,  find  means  to  pass  the  winter ;  frequenting 
at  such  times  the  pools  of  open  water,  which  occur  even  in 
these  high  latitudes  amongst  the  floes  of  ice.  Others,  but  in 
small  numbers,  and  those  probably  bred  in  lower  lati- 
tudes, venture  in  the  winter  along  the  coasts  of  the  United 
States.     In  Europe  they  are  also  seen  at  this  season  along 


v\ 


634 


WKB-FOOTED   BIRDI. 


the  borders  of  the  Atlantic.  They  are  alike  indigenous  to 
the  western  side  of  the  American  continent,  and  occur  in 
Kamtschatka.  At  St.  Kilda,  on  the  Bass  isle,  in  the  Frith 
of  Forth,  in  the  Farn  islands  off  the  coast  of  Northumber- 
land, and  on  some  parts  of  the  coast  of  Wales,  particularly 
near  Tenbeigh,  they  are  known  to  breed. 

They  fly  commonly  in  pairs,  with  considerable  rapidity, 
almost  grazing  the  surface  of  the  sea,  but  at  other  times  they 
proceed  i:.  a  more  elevated  course.  Their  note,  according 
to  Audubon,  is  a  contracted  whistle.  They  nestle  some- 
times under  ground,  but  more  commonly  in  the  deep  and 
rocky  fissures  of  inaccessible  cliffs  and  bold  he.  dlands  pro- 
jecting into  the  sea.  To  avoid  the  access  of  water  to  the 
eggs,  they  commonly  pile  together  a  nest  of  pebbles,  be- 
neath which  the  rain  water  or  melting  snow  parses  off 
without  any  injury  or  inconvenience.  The  eggs  are  from 
1  to  3,  white  or  whitish,  spotted  pretty  equally  with  dark 
brown.  To  escape  becoming  the  prey  of  the  foxes  who 
incessantly  watch  foi  them,  the  young,  when  pushed 
to  the  necessity.,  throw  themselves  without  difficulty  from 
their  impending  eyrys  into  the  sea.  They  dive  with  great 
facility,  and  feed  upon  small  fish,  but  particularly  on 
shrimps,  small  crabs,  and  other  Crustacea,  and  marine 
insects.  They  show  considerable  vigilance  on  being  ap- 
proached, and  are  much  more  shy  and  wary  than  the  other 
Guillemots.  The  eggs,  (called  improperly  those  of  the 
Noddy,)  are  brought  sometimes  in  the  small  coasting  vessels 

to  Boston  market. 

ft 
The  length  of  the  Black  Guillemot  is  ahout  13  inches  ;  the  tail  2 
inches ;  the  wing  6  inches  4  lines ;  the  bill  above,  about  1  inch  1 
line ;  the  tarsus  1  inch  2  lines.  Greenish-black  above ;  brownish- 
black  beneath.  Border  of  the  wing  and  quills  pitch-black.  Mid- 
dle and  greater  coverts,  inner  bases  of  the  quilj  feathers,  and  all  the 
under  wing  coverts,  white.  Bill  black;  inside  of  the  mouth  and 
feet  scarlet.    The  bill  compressed,  extreme  tip  of  the  upper  mandi- 


MARCHES   OUILLBMOT. 


696 


ble  •lightly  drooping,  not  notched;  that  of  the  lower  mandibto 
excavated  or  iloping.  The  noatrili  are  short,  narrow,  baaal  clits 
near  the  commiMure.     No  hind  toe. 

Winter  plumage,  with  the  head,  neck,  whole  nnder  plumage.,  scap* 
ulars,  rump,  mirror  of  the  wings,  and  tips  of  the  dorsal  feathers 
white.  A  crescent  shaped  patch  before  the  eye,  the  border  of  the 
wing,  the  primary  coverts,  all  the  quills,  the  tail,  and  tips  of  the 
scapulars,  black.  —  In  the  spring  and  beginning  of  summer  the 
plumage  is  variously  mottled,  the  summer  dress  being  complete  at 
different  periods  in  different  individuals,  but  rarely  before  the  be- 
ginning of  July. 

In  the  young  of  the  year,  the  throat,  breast  and  all  the  lower  parts 
are  pure  white.  Summit  of  the  head,  naF«,  lower  part  of  the  neck 
and  sides  of  the  breast  blackish,  spotted  with  grey  and  white.  Back 
and  rump  dull  black.  Some  feathers  of  the  scapulars  and  of  the 
rump  tipped  with  whitiRh-ash.  Wings  black,  except  the  mirror 
which  is  white,  but  marked  with  blackish  and  cinereous  spots.  Inte* 
rior  of  the  mouth  and  feet  livid  reddish.    Iris  blackish-brown.      ..:\ 


-c^m 


-,v 


VI., 


J-;!. 


- 1  % 


MARBLED  GUILLEMOT. 

(Uria  marmorata,  Lath.  Synops.  vi.  p.  386.  pi.  96.    Bonap.  Synops. 
No.  372.     Marbled  Guillemot,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  4to.  ii.  p.  230. 
'    pi.  22.  No.  438,     Young  of  Uria  grylle,  Vieill.) 

Sp,  Charact.  —  Brown,  undulated  with  ferruginous  ;  beneath  dusky, 
spotted  and  barred  with  white ;  feet  yellow  }  bill  black,  one  inch 

This  species,  yet  but  very  imperfectly  known,  was  brought 
from  Prince  William's  Sound,  on  the  western  coast  of  Ame- 
rica. Another  specimen  was  also  obtained  on  the  coast  of 
Kamtschatka  ;  this  individual  formed  part  of  the  collection 
of  the  late  Sir  Joseph  Banks.  Of  their  habits  we  are  wholly 
ignorant. 

The  length  of  this  species  appears  to  vary  from  9  to  10  inches. 
The  bill  is  compressed  a  little  on  the  sides,  and  rather  slender. 
Crown  of  the  head  dusky.    Upper  part  of  the  body  transversely 


\\ 


606 


WEB-rOOTBD    BIRDS. 


iNurred  with  tawney,  chcitnut,  and  blaokiihobrown^at  far  as  the  tail, 
which  it  ahort  and  blaolc  The  wing  ooverta  duaky,  somt*  of  the 
larger  pclgcd  with  white.  Quilla  black.  Chin  and  throat  duakj, 
mixed  with  irregular  blotches  of  white  ;  aidea  of  the  neck  plain 
duaky ;  breaat,  belly,  and  vent,  irregularly  barred  and  waved  with 
duaky  and  white,  changing  to  the  last  at  the  vent  Lega  and  toea 
pale  orange ;  the  webs  and  claws  black. 

i  f  Both  mandibles  curved  at  the  point. 

Beneath  white  at  all  times  ;  the  throat  only  changing  from  black 
to  white  in  moulting.  The  young  obtain  the  adult  plumage  in  the 
Ski  year.     These  lay  but  one  egg. 


;r         FOOLISH  GUILLEMOT,  OR  MURRE.      • 

(Uiia  troille,  Lath.  Gmel.  Syst.  sp.  ii.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  873. 
Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  021.  Rich,  and  Swains.  North.  Zool. 
ii.  p.  477.  Cohjmbus  troille,  Linn.  Faun.  Suec.  No.  149.  Foolish 
Guillemot,  Edwards,  pi.  359.  fig.  1.  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p. 
229.  [4to.]  No.  436.  Lesser  Guillemot,  Idem.  ii.  p.  231.  A.  Le 
Guillemot,  Buff.  Ois.  ix.  p.  350.  Id.  PI.  Enlum.  908.  [adult  in 
summer].  Penn.  Brit.  Zool.  p.  138.  t.  H.  Uria  Suarbag,  and  U. 
ringuia,  Brunnich,  Orn.  Boreal,  p.  27.  No.  110.  and  111.  [winter 
plumage].  U.  lomvia,  Ibid.  No.  108.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  sp.  1.  [adult 
in  summer].) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Blackish, beneath  white;  secondaries  white  at  tip; 
feet  dusky ;  bill  longer  than  the  head,  much  compressed  through- 
out, upper  mandible  four  times  as  long  as  broad.  —  Mvlt,  with  a 
black  stripe  behind  the  eyes.  Summer  plumage,  with  the  whole 
head  jet  black.  The  young  duller,  and  without  the  black  stripe 
behind  the  eye. 

The  Foolish  Guillemot,  so  called  for  their  fatuity  in  the 
breeding  season,  in  allowing  themselves  sometimes  to  be 
seized  by  the  hand,  or  killed  on  the  spot  without  flying  from 
their  favorite  cliffs,  is  another  pmgulai:  and  <?ommo»  inhj^b- 


FOOLISH   GViLLBMOT,   OR  MURRE. 


897 


itant  of  the  high  northern  latitudes  of  both  continent/^.  In 
Europe  they  extend  their  swarming  colonies  as  far  as  the 
ever  wintry  coast  of  Spitzbergeu,  they  are  also  seen  in 
Lapmarck,  and  along  the  White  and  Icy  Sea,  as  far  as 
Kamtschatka.  Along  the  whole  coast  of  Hudson's  Bay, 
Labrador,  and  Newfoundland,  they  congregate  in  swarms. 
Tiiey  also  breed  in  the  Orkneys,  and  in  more  temperate 
climates,  when  the  local  situation  happens  to  suit  their  par- 
ticular habits  and  instinct ;  thus,  they  are  extremely  numer- 
ous in  the  desert  isle  of  Priestholm,  contiguous  to  tl.e  island 
of  Anglesey,  on  the  Qodreve  rocks,  not  far  from  St.  Ives,  in 
Cornwall,  the  Farn  isles  off  the  coast  of  Nort)  umberland, 
and  the  cliffs  of  the  Isle  of  Wight  and  of  Scprhorough  in 
Yorkshire.  Occasionally  the  young  are  se^n  alon^  the 
coasts  of  the  United  States;  but  the  great  body  of  th  <)pe- 
cies,  in  America,  according  to  Audubon,  winter  in  ac  Bay 
of  Fundy,  where  they  find  an  open  sea,  conge .  *nl  rocks,  and 
a  cool  temperature. 

They  begin  to  assemble  on  their  customary  cliffs,  in  Eng- 
land, early  in  May,  and  crowd  together  in  such  numbers, 
that  it  is  not  uncommon  to  see  hundreds  sitting  upon  their 
eggs  on  the  ledge  of  a  rock,  all  in  a  line,  and  nearly  touch- 
ing each  other.  They  lay  but  a  single  egg,  on  the  flat  and 
bare  rock,  without  any  precaution  to  protect  it  or  the  pro- 
geny arising  from  it  by  any  shelter  or  convenience  at  all 
like  a  nest.  It  is  of  a  palish  green,  blotched  and  marked 
with  black  and  deep  umber-brown.  They  rarely  quit  their 
eggs  unless  disturbed,  and  are  f"  '  ''-jring  the  time,  chiefly 
with  small  fish  or  other  marine  productions,  by  the  male. 
In  inaccessible  places,  or  where  seldom  disturbed,  it  is  with 
difficulty  that  they  are  roused  to  flight,  and  may  then  some- 
times be  taken  by  the  Itand ;  others  flutter  into  the  water, 
below  the  cliffs  on  which  they  nestle,  and  seem  in  fact  to  try 
every  expedient  but  that  of  flight.    They  are  at  all  times 


\v 


538 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


•••j  I 


extremely  expert  in  diving,  using  their  pinions  as  oars  in- 
stead of  the  feet,  thus  flying  as  it  were  in  the  water,  as  well 
88  in  the  air.  After  the  young  are  hatched,  and  capable 
of  migrating,  by  the  close  of  August,  they  all  disappear 
from  the  shores  of  Britain,  and  are  seen  in  winter  on  the 
coasts  of  the  Baltic,  Holland,  France,  and  as  far  as  Italy 
along  the  borders  of  the  Atlantic.  Many  of  the  young  as 
well  as  old  birds  of  this  species,  also  bred  in  colder  latitudes, 
migrate  in  winter  along  the  coasts  of  Norway,  Holland,  and 
England,  seeming  as  it  were  to  fill  up  the  place  of  those 
which  have  left  their  native  shores  for  still  milder  climates. 
The  inhabitants  of  Kamtschatka  kill  the  Murres  in  great 
numbers  for  the  sake  of  their  flesh,  though  it  is  said  to  be 
tough  and  ill  tasted,  but  more  especially  for  their  skins,  of 
which,  as  of  other  fowls,  they  make  garments  ;  but  the  eggs 
are  every  where  accounted  as  a  delicacy.  It  is  called  by 
the  Welsh  Guilhm,  and  in  the  southern  parts  of  England 

Willock.  .vjtitO^-".  ;,.;-i    u^n-,  ::. 


The  length  of  the  Murre  is  about  17  to  18  inches,  (the  female  is  said 
to  be  somewhat  smaller ;)  the  length  of  the  tail  2  inches :  of  the 
wing  about  7i|  inches  ;  the  bill  from  above,  1  inch  10  lines ;  the  tar- 
sus 1  inch  3  lines.  The  head  and  front  of  the  neck  rich  pitch-black 
inclining  to  umber.  The  dorsal  plumage  and  wings  greyish-black. 
Tips  of  the  secondaries  and  under  plumage  white ;  that  color  form- 
ing a  rounded  projection  into  the  black  of  the  neck.  Bill  and  legs 
black.  Margins  of  the  eye-lids  and  a  suture  from  behind  the  eye, 
white.  In  other  specimens  from  the  same  locality  the  eye-lids  and 
suture  are  black,  as  in  the  following  species.  Bill  longer  than  the 
head,  considerably  compressed,  commissure  nearly  straight ;  lower 
mandible  acutely  notched  at  the  tip. 

In  winter  the  under  parts  of  the  head  and  throat  are  white,  and 
the  black  of  the  dorsal  plumage  loses  its  brownish  tinge. 

In  the  young  of  the  year,  the  bill  is  shorter,  cinereous,  and  yel- 
lowish at  the  base;  the  black  above  is  shaded  with  ashy-brown. 
The  longitudinal  band  behind  the  eyes  is  also  less  distinct,  and  blends 
in  ashy  spots  with  the  white  Qf  the  sides  of  the  occiput ;  ashy-brown 


M 


LARGE-BILLED   GUILLEMOT. 


f 


539 


also  predominateB  on  the  lower  part  of  the  neck,  and  the  white  of  thes 
lower  parts  is  less  pure.    The  tarsus  and  toes  are  of  a  livid  yellow- 
ish, and  the  webs  are  brown. 


rs 


■m; 


LARGE-BILLED  GUILLEMOT. 

(Uria  Brunnichii,  Sabine,  Greenland  Birds,  p.  538.  No.  14,  &c.' 
Temh.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  924.     Bonap. Synops.  No.  874.     Rich.' 
and  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  477.     U.   Francaii,  Leach.  U. 
troille,  BnuNN.  Orn.  Boreal.  No.  109.  nee.  Lath.)  \ 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Reddish-black ;  beneath  white ;  secondaries  white 
at  tip ;  feet  greenish ;  bill  as  long  as  the  head,  dilated  and  broad 
at  base ;  upper  mandible  three  times  as  long  as  broad.  —  Summer 
plumage,  with  the  whole  head  black. 

This  is  another  inhabitant  of  the  glacial  seas  of  the  hy* 
perboreal  regions  of  both  continents ;  being  very  common 
in  Greenland,  Spitzbergen,  Davis'  Straits,  Baffin's  Bay,' 
and  in  the  remotest  parts  of  Arctic  America  that  have  yet 
been  visited.  Occasionally,  the  young,  and  more  rarely  the 
old,  are  also  seen  on  the  coasts  of  the  Northern  and  Middle 
States  in  the  course  of  the  winter.  Its  habits,  as  distinct 
from  the  preceding,  with  which  it  has  generally  been  con- 
founded, are  unknown. 

The  length  of  the  species  is  about  18  inches ;  the  tail  2  inches  9 
lines ;  the  wing  8  inches  3  lines ;  the  bill  above,  1  inch  2  lines ;  the 
bill  to  the  rictus  2  inches ;  tarsus  1  inch  4  lines ;  middle  toe  1  inch  7 
lines.  The  top  of  the  head  and  upper  plumage  reddiuh-black.  Head 
beneath  the  level  of  the  eye,  and  the  front  of  the  neck,  pitch-black. 
Tips  of  the  secondaries  and  the  under  plumage  white  ;  the  white 
indenting  the  black  of  the  base  of  the  neck  in  an  acute  angular  form. 
Bill  bluish-black,  paler  at  the  base.  Rictus  bright  yellow.  The  bill 
wider  at  the  base,  shorter,  a.nd  less  compressed  than  in  U.  troille. 
Under  mandible  higher,  with  a  much  shorter  and  more  prominent 
gonys ;  commissure  more  curved.  A  suture  on  the  plumage  behind 
thb  dye  as  in  U.  iroiUe.  The  wirUer  plumage  undergoes  changeg 
45 


V* 


690 


«  WBB-FOOTEO  BIRD!. 


analogooa  to  thow  which  take  place  in  U.  gryUef  which  contiiiiie 
until  the  raeceeding  June.    In  the  young  the  bill  ie  more  slender. 


Subgenus.  — Mergvlus.  Ray,  Bonap.,  &c. 

With  the  bill  very  short,  a  little  cunred,  eonic-convez,  nearly  as 
broad  as  high ;  both  mandibles  notched  at  the  tip ;  the  tipper  one 
grooved;  nostrils  basal,  semicircular;  tongne  thick  and  entire. 
Wings  shorter  than  the  tail ;  the  Ist  and  2d  primaries  about  equal. 
The  outer  and  middle  toes  of  the  same  length. 

This  is  the  smallest  race  of  the  Natural  Order  to  which  it  pro- 
perly belongs.  Their  flight  is  rapid  and  long  sustained,  notwith- 
standing the  shortness  of  the  wings ;  they  proceed  as  much  in  the 
air  as  in  the  water ;  and  walk  also  better  than  the  other  species. 
They  breed  in  society,  and  lay  but  a  single  bluish-white  egg.  Their 
fbod  consists  principally  of  small  Crustacea,  which  they  collect  some- 
times under  the  tongue. 


^iUii't  i^  '^i\':.M'' 


,";-■     ' :  ■  H'r-:  -'S 


H^A 


■  ^i     ^'  >  ■■  , 

■■£■'-■         ^.  •  .      -     ,  V 


%- 


ifii^^m^-riit^i^tm*^i^'«t'' 


Wl^ 


u 
ke 
e. 
il. 

0- 

h- 

lie 
». 
iir 

le- 


<4«i; 


...V^ 


LITTLE  AUK,  or  SEA  DOVE. 

(Vria  alle,  Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  928.  Bonap.  Synopi.  No.  875. 
Rich,  and  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  479.  Littla  Auk.  (Alea 
alkf)  WiLSoir,  iz.  p.  94.  pi.  74.  fig.  5.  Pknr.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No. 
4S9.  A.  alUf  LiHN.  Faun.  Suec.  No.  142.  Baunniob,  No.  106. 
Small  Black  and  White  Diver,  Edwards,  Glean,  pi.  91.  Buff. 
PI.  Enlum.  917.  [winter  dress].  Penn.  Brit.  Zool.  p.  137.  t.  H.  4. 
fig.  1.  Mergulusalle,yiitiLT..  GbI.  desOis.  295.  [adult].  Green- 
land Dove,  Albin,  i.  t.  85.  Roi-ges,  or  BoUet^  Martin's  Spitzb.  p. 
85.  Uria  minora  Briss.  vi.  p.  73, 2.    Phil.  Museum,  No.  1^J78.) 

Sp.  Charact. — Black ;  beneath  and  tips  of  the  secondaries  white ; 
under  the  wings  black ;  bill  and  feet  black ;  bill  very  short,  half 
as  long  as  the  head,  a  little  curved.  —  Summer  plumage,  with  the 
whole  head  black. 

This  neat  and  singular  Utile  bird,  with  a  quaint  resem- 
blance to  the  Cdumbine  tribe,  is  known  to  mariners  by  the 
name  of  the  Greenland  Dove ;  and  in  this  ricinity  it  is  also 
called  the  Pigeon  Diver.  It  inhabits,  however,  a  region 
where  the  gentle  cooing  of  the  Dove  is  never  heard.  It 
dwells  fiur  within  the  Arctic  circle,  approaching  the  very 


,...,. ....    »-. 


532 


WEB-FOOTEO    BIRDS. 


pole,  having  been  obtained  by  Dr.  Richardson  from  the 
dreary  coast  of  Melville  Island,  in  the  latitude  of  75°  and 
76°,  in  August,  where  they  were  seen  by  thousands.  It  is 
probably  almost  the  last  bird  seen  within  the  desolate  and 
glacial  boundaries  of  the  earth.  In  Greenland  and  Spitz- 
bergen  they  congregate  in  great  flocks  ;  and  in  the  depth  of 
winter,  watching  the  motion  of  the  ice  in  the  offing,  when 
it  is  broken  up  by  storms,  they  crowd  by  thousands  into 
every  opening  fissure  or  flaw,  in  order  to  snatch  up  the  ma- 
rine productions  on  which  they  subsist.  Mr.  Audubon 
found  a  few  breeding  on  the  coast  of  Labrador.  In  New- 
foundland they  are  called  the  Ice-Bird,  being  the  sure  har- 
bingers of  severe  weather,  as  they  seldom  proceed  far  from 
their  inclement  ratal  regions,  except  when  accidentally 
driven  to  shore  by  storms.  In  the  United  States  their  ap- 
pearance is  always  solitary,  being  mere  wanderers  as  they 
are  also  along  the  milder  coasts  of  Europe.  Their  uniform 
predilection  is  for  the  hyperboreal  regions  of  their  nativity, 
and  they  even  fatten  in  storms  when  not  overwhelmed  by 
their  fury  ;  as,  at  these  times  the  small  Crustacea,  and  ma- 
rine insects  on  which  they  feed  are  cast  up  and  brought  to 
the  surface  in  greater  abundance.  At  times  they  appear  to 
fl^y  well,  as  appears  by  their  extensive  accidental  migrations, 
having  sometimes  been  met  with  considerably  inland.  The 
water,  however,  being  their  more  natufal  element,  they  dive 
with  great  facility,  and  are  often  observed  dipping  their  bills 
into  the  water  as  if  drinking.    '         ."  ,      , 

Those  which  have  been  obtained  in  this  vicinity,  usually 
in  the  depth  of  winter,  have  sometimes  been  found  in  Fresh 
Pond,  and  so  lean  and  exhausted,  by  buffeting  weather  and 
fatigue  as  to  allow  themselves  to  be  quietly  taken  up  by 
the  hand. 

Like  other  species  of  the  genus,  and  the  family  generally, 
associated  with  the  Razor-Bills,  they  seek  out  for  their  breed- 


ii 


PHALERI8. 


633 


ing  places  the  most  inaccessible  impending  cliffe  which  pro- 
ject into  the  ocean,  and  in  their  clefts,  without  any  artificial 
nest,  deposit  their  single  egg,  which  is  of  a  pale  bluish- 
green,  commonly  without  spots,  but  sometimes  scattered  with 
a  few  small  touches  of  blackish.  At  this  time  probably, 
they  are  heard  to  utter  their  uncouth  and  monotonous  call 
of  rottet,  by  which  as  a  name,  they  are  known  to  the  Dutch 
navigators  who  have  penetrated  to  their  dreary  and  remote 
haunts. 

Captain  Ross's  party  met  with  these  birds  in  great  num- 
bers on  the  west  coast  of  Greenland,  where  they  were  shot 
daily,  and  supplied  to  the  ship's  company,  who  found  them 
very  palatable,  and  free  from  any  fishy  taste,  though  their 
food  consists  chiefly  of  a  small  species  of  crab  (Cancer) 
with  which  the  Arctic  seas  abound. 

'  The  length  of  the  Little  Guillemot  or  Auk  is  about  9i  inches ; 
the  tail  1  inch  9  lines ;  the  wing  5  inches ;  the  bill  above,  half  an 
inch  ;  from  the  rictus  11  lines  :  the  tarsus  9  lines ;  the  middle  and 
outer  toes  11  lines.  The  top  of  the  head,  dorsal  plumage,  tail,  wings, 
and  the  sides  under  them,  velvet-black.  Under  surface  of  the  head, 
throat,  upper  part  of  the  breast,  and  thighs,  pitch-black ;  the  rest  of 
the  under  plumage,  the  tips  of  the  secondaries,  and  lateral  edges  of 
the  scapulars,  white  ;  that  color  joining  the  black  of  the  breast  in 
an  even  line.     Bill  black.     Legs  brownish. 

In  winter,  the  front  of  the   neck  is  whitish ;  the  change  taking 
place  towards  the  end  of  September.     It  is  said  sometimes  to  vary  to 
quite  white,  and  is  seen  occasionally  with  a  reddish  breast. 
:'•     '-i     .-  ,-;C»'e:^.  .rr-' ,  .,  -,:■:■  -':'■' 

li.:  --.A-  .'.rT.  .i-r  .i.  :.>  .   •..,.        .'.^ '::■..'■    '-^ 


•  (>•',;♦  .' 


PH ALERTS.     Temm.   (Alca,  Linn.)  :^ 


With  the  bill  shorter  than  the  head,  dilated  on  the  margins, 
almoHt  quadrangular,  notched  near  the  tip ;  upper  mandible  depress- 
ed on  the  sides,  convex  above ;  curved  at  the  point :  lower  some- 
what compressed,  angular  beneath,  truncated  at  tip.  Nostrils  me- 
dial, marginal,  linear,  pervious,  half  closed  by  a  naked  membrane. 

45* 


II 


A\ 


534 


WEB-FOOTEO   BIRDS. 


Tongue  thick  and  entire.  Capistram  advaiAsing  but  little  on  th* 
base  of  the  bill.  Feet  placed  very  far  back ;  the  tibia  almost  en- 
tirely retracted  into  the  belly ;  tarsus  slender,  compressed,  carinated 
on  both  sides ;  toes  long  and  slender,  middle  toe  longest ;  webs  fbll 
and  entire ;  nails  incurved,  acute.  Wings  short,  acute,  1st  primary 
longest.     Tail  of  14  feathers,  the  middle  and  outer  being  shortest. 

The  sexes  alike  in  plumage  ;  but  the  young  differ  from  the  adult. 
They  moult  twice  in  the  year,  but  undergo  little  or  no  change  of 
color. 

These  birds  reside  throughout  the  year  in  the  hyperboreal  regionip, 
and  only  migrate  to  short  distances  in  the  severity  of  the  wintelr. 
They  congregate  in  flocks,  living  generally  out  at  sea,  swimming 
about  among  the  ice  with  ease  and  dexterity,  but  retiring  usually  at 
night  to  the  clefts  of  the  neighbouring  rocks,  or  into  burrows  which 
they  dig  with  the  aid  of  their  bill  and  feet.  In  these  holes  and  bur- 
rows, without  any  preparation,  they  deposit  their  only  egg;  and  at 
such  times  probably,  are  so  much  infatuated  by  the  duties  of  incu- 
bation as  to  allow  themselves  to  be  easily  killed  or  taken  by  hand. 
Like  the  preceding,  they  feed  on  marine  produi^tions  exclusively, 
such  as  Crustacea,  mollusca,  and  other  small  animals  of  the  sea. 

These  inhabit  the  Arctic  seas  between  Asia  and  America.  The 
genus  is  composed  of  about  3  species. 


li 


PARROaUET  AUK. 

(Phaleris  psittacula,  Temh.  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  376.    Mea  psitta- 

ctda,  Pallas,  Spicil.  Zool.  fasc.  v.  p.  15.  tab.  2.  [adult].    Latk. 

Ind.  sp.  8.    ^.  tetracula,  Pallas,  sp.  Zool.  fasc.  v.  p.  23.  t.  4. 

[young].    Perroquet,    and    Dusky   Auk,   Lath.    Synops.    v.    t. 

95.  fig.  2  and  3,  the  head.    Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  433  and 

485.) 
Sp.  Charact.  —  Black  j  belly  white ;  a  line  behind  the  eyes,  and  a 

spot  above,  white  ;  ridge  of  the  bill  compressed.  — JiduU  with  the 

bill  red.    In  the  ymmg  the  bill  is  yellowish-dusky. 

These  singular  birds  inhabit  the  coast  of  Kamtschatka, 
the  Kuriles  and  other  islands  towards  Japan  as  well  as  eon- 
tiguous  to  America,  and  the  western  shores  of  this  conti- 


PARROQUET    AUK. 


585 


nent.  They  are  very  abundant,  and  are  seen  jiwimming  and 
diving  in  flocks,  but  seldom,  unless  tempest  driven,  go  far 
from  the  rocks  to  which  they  resort  at  night.  They  are 
said  to  be  extremely  artless,  so  that  the  natives  take  them 
with  ease,  sometimes,  merely  by  placing,  near  their  burrows 
or  holes  a  garment  with  large  sleeves  distended,  into  which 
they  creep  as  into  their  customary  retreats,  and  thus  become 
an  easy  prey.  Being  constantly  seen  on  dangerous  and 
precipitous  coasts,  they  sometimes  afford  a  timely  warning 
to  the  mariner  of  the  approach  of  rocks  or  shoals,  by  seek- 
ing out  the  refuge  of  his  ve.-^sel,  which  they  sometimes  mis- 
take for  their  accustomed  lodging.  They  lay  one  large  egg, 
about  the  middle  of  June,  almost  the  size  of  that  of  a  com- 
mon hen,  being  whitish,  or  yellowish,  spotted  with  brown, 
dusky  or  yellow,  and  is  esteemed  as  a  delicacy.  The  young 
are  sometimes  seen  solitary,  wandering  out  at  sea,  and  are 
remarkably  stupid  and  awkward.  They  can  scarcely  fly  or 
stand,  from  the  shortness  of  their  wings,  and  the  posterior 
position  of  their  retracted  legs,  and  they  depend  for  subsist- 
ence wholly  on  their  swimming  and  diving,  at  which  they 
are  remarkably  expert.  Their  flesh  is  sometimes  eaten,  but 
is  very  little  esteemed,  except  by  the  half  famished  natives 
of  those  dreary  climates. 

The  Ferroquet  Auk  or  Phaleris,  ia  about  11  inches  long.  The  bill 
deep  red.  A  white  spot  in  the  middle  of  the  upper  eye-lid.  From 
the  hinder  part  of  the  eye  springs  a  slender  tufl  of  white  feathers, 
which  hang  loosely  on  each  side  of  the  neck.  The  head,  neck,  and 
upper  parts  are  black,  inclining  to  ash  on  the  fore  part  of  the  neck. 
The  under  parts  from  the  breast  are  white ;  thighs  dusky.  Wings 
extending  to  the  end  of  the  tail,  which  last  is  very  short.  Legs 
dull  yellow ;  the  webs  brown. 

In  the  young,  the  black  of  the  upper  plumage  on  the  head  and 
nape  is  varied  with  some  obscure  ferruginous  tints.  Below  cine- 
reous, whitish  near  the  vent.  The  tail  tipped  with  ferruginous. 
Legs  livid. 


:        ! 


636 

f... 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


I    > 


CRESTED  PHALERIS. 


.'      :.^■  ,■•?•■ 


(Phaleris  cristatella,  Temm.  PI.  Color.  200  [adult].  Bonap.  Synopi. 
p.  426.  (in  a  note).  Mca  cristatella,  Pallas,  Spicil.  Zool.  fasc.  y. 
p.  18.  tab.  3.  Lath,  and  ^.  pygmaa,  Ibid.  A.  cristatella,  Vieill. 
Gal.  Ois.  pi.  297.  (adult).  Crested,  or  Flat-Billed  Auk,  Lath.  Sy- 
Bops.  iii.  pi.  95.  fig.  4.  [the  head].  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  434. 
Black  StonAJ,  Hist.  Kamtflchat.)        '      •    ■      ,  <        •    .    (.^v-  - 

Bp.  Charact.  —  Blackish,  beneath  lighter,  the  rump  ash-colbred ; 
a  frontal  tuil  of  G  or  8  feathers  curling  over  the  bill ;  sides  of  the 
head  ornamented  with  long  slender  white  feathers ;  ridge  of  the 
bill  scarcely  compressed,  lower  mandible  with  a  groove  each  side 
from  the  throat.  —  The  young  black,  beneath  paler  j  the  head  with- 
out tufl ;  the  bill  black. 

This  species,  discovered  by  Steller,  inhabits  the  seas  and 
islands  betwixt  Japan  and  the  north-eastern  coast  of  Asia, 
especially  Karatschatka,  and  were  seen  in  multitudes  about 
Bird  Island,  between  Asia  and  America,  and  no  doubt  visit 
the  contiguous  western  shores  of  America.  They  roost  and 
nest  in  burrows  and  fissures  of  rocks  On  shore,  near  the  sea, 
and  are  at  such  times  so  tame  as  to  allow  of  being  taken  by 
hand.  . 

The  Crested  Auk  is  about  12  inches  long.  The  bill  resembles 
that  of  the  Puffin,  but  the  upper  mandible  is  more  hooked  at  the 
tip  :  at  the  angle  of  the  mouth  hangs  a  callous  flap,  the  color  of  that  and 
the  bill  crimson,  the  tip  yellow.  On  the  front  an  upright  crest  of 
long  feathers  curving  forwards.  Beneath  the  eyes  a  line  of  white, 
and  behind  them  a  streak  composed  of  4  or  5  slender  white  feathers. 
Above  black,  hoary  on  the  rump,  some  ferruginous  brown  spots  on 
the  back.  Beneath  dusky  brown.  The  wings  extend  to  the  base  of 
the  tail,  which  is  black  ;  the  outermost  feather  but  one  ferruginous 
at  tip,  the  outer  marked  with  indistinct  dots  of  white.  Legs  livid ; 
the  webs  dusky. 

Note.  The  Mca  antiqua  of  Latham,  and  Pennant,  Arct.  Zool. 
Mo.  430,  is  apparently  a  third  North  American,  and  Asiatic  species, 


'Or, 


<  *     CERORRINCA.  »W 


637 


having  been  found  ob  the  coast,  and  around  Kamtachatka  and  the 
Kurile  islands. 

The  Ancient  Auk  is  about  11  inches  long.  The  bill  an  inch  and 
a  quarter;  the  base  white;  from  the  nostrils  to  the  extremity  black. 
The  feathers  advance  far  forward  on  the  bill,  and  the  eyes  are  set  far 
back  apparently  in  the  head.  Head,  sides,  and  throat  deep  black. 
The  upper  part  of  the  body  and  wings  dusky  black.  The  under  part 
pure  white.  Just  behind  the  eyes  spring  several  long  narrow  .\hite 
feathers,  which  lie  on  each  side  of  the  neck,  meeting  at  the  lower 
part  and  forming  a  crescent,  these  are  somewhat  curled  at  the  origin, 
where  they  are  most  numerous,  and  can  perhaps  be  erected  at  will, 
in  the  manner  of  a  ruff.  Legs  1^  inches  long  and  dusky.  The  tail 
black,  short  and  rounded. 


CERORHINCA.     Bonap. 

With  the  bill  shorter  than  the  head,  much  compressed,  longer 
than  high,  even,  the  base  not  much  feathered,  covered  by  a  callous 
membrane,  surmounted  by  a  long,  blunt,  horn-like  process  arising 
from  the  base  of  the  bill ;  both  mandibles  curved  and  slightly  notch- 
ed at  tip ;  the  lower  angular  beneath,  acute ;  the  edges  sharp,  in  the 
upper  mandible  dilated,  in  the  lower  much  bent  in  at  the  base.  Nos- 
trils situated  beneath  the  ear,  marginal,  linear,  pervious,  half  closed 
by  the  membrane.  Tongue  short  and  slender.  Head  very  round, 
the  orbits  feathered.  Feet  placed  very  far  back ;  the  tibia  almost 
wholly  retracted  into  the  abdomen  ;  tarsus  moderately  compressed, 
rough  behind ;  toes  long  and  slender ;  webs  entire  :  nails  curved, 
acute,  the  middle  one  largest.  Wings  short  and  slender,  1st  primary 
a  little  the  longest ;  the  secondaries  very  short.  Tail  very  short,  of 
14  rounded  feathers. 

The  changes  and  habits  most  probably  similar  with  those  of  the 
allied  genera.  -■;:■       -,      •;^^:-:J{it;*;"i*^?h'"'r!r"'-' •?'■  -'-ft''^    -':'.•:, 

It  inhabits  the  coast  and  the  sea  between  America  and  northern 
Asia,  and  has  hitherto  been  obtained  only  from  the  western  side  of 
this  continent. 


'0' 


r-fifl 


638 


WEB-FOOTfiO   BIRDS. 


iHi: 


ivv'  i. '.  ttj,  M 


i-.'^t.' 


■^■•'.■■■»A 


.      i«..     WESTERN  CERORHINCA. 

(Cerorhinca  oecidentalia,  Bona  p.  Synopi.  p.  428.  No.  877.  Phalerit 
cerorhinca,  Ibid,  in  Am.  Orn.  MSS.  ined.) 

8p.  Ciiaract.  —  Blackish,  belly  whitish ;  a  few  slender,  elongat- 
ed white  feathers  at  the  corners  of  the  eyes  and  mouth;  bill 
yellow. 

According  to  the  Prince  of  Musignano,  from  whom  we 
derive  all  we  know  concerning  this  rare  bird,  it  is  an  inhab- 
itant of  the  western  coasts  of  North  America. 

•      '      .       :.      -("^r        ■■-,■    ■•-.   ■        „■     -.    ^,,l/.■    .i 


PUFFINS.     (Mormon,  77/t^.  Alga,  Linn.) 

With  the  bill  shorter  than  the  head,  much  compressed,  higher 
tban  long,  at  base  as  broad  as  the  head,  transversely  and  obliquely 
grooved  on  the  sides,  covered  at  base  by  a  wrinkled,  callous  mem- 
brane :  both  mandibles  much  curved  and  notched ;  the  upper  with  a 
sharp  ridge,  rising  higher  than  the  front :  the  lower  a  little  shorter 
and  obtuse  ;  angles  of  the  mouth  margined  with  an  extensible  mem- 
brane. Nostrils  near  the  cere,  marginal,  long,  linear,  obsolete, 
almost  entirely  closed  by  a  naked  membrane.  Tongue  short,  com- 
pressed, and  very  acute.  The  head  very  round ;  the  orbits  naked ; 
neck  short  and  thick.  Feet  placed  very  far  back ;  the  tibia  almost 
wholly  retracted  ;  tarsus  rather  slender,  carinated  above  and  behind ; 
webs  slightly  indented  ;  nails  much  curved,  acute,  middle  one  largest, 
the  inner  one  most  curved.  Wings  short,  slender  and  acute  ;  the  1st 
primary  as  long,  or  a  little  longer  than  the  2d.  Tail  short,  of  1.6  fea- 
thers, the  middle  and  outer  shortest. 

The  sexes  alike  in  plumage  ',  and  the  young  differ  but  little  from 
the  adnlt,  except  in  the  smaller  and  smoother  bill.  They  moult 
twice  in  the  year,  but  '<;he  colors  undergo  very  little  change.  The 
young  are  at  first  covered  with  a  long  down. 

Lie  Puffins  inhabit  the  cold  and  hypeiboreal  regions,  associating 
in  large  flocks,  keeping  at  no  great  distance  from  the  shores,  and 


TUPTISD   MOnMON,   OR   PUfFIN. 


630 


retiring  at  night  and  iu  stormy  weather  into  burrowa  or  elefta  of  rooka, 
in  which  alio  they  breed  in  dense  aocietiea,  generally  digging  oat 
holea  in  which  to  nest  with  the  aid  of  their  bill  and  claws  ;  laying 
but  a  (tingle  large  egg:  they  are  affectionate  parents,  and  boldly  de- 
fend their  young.  Viey  are  seen  flying  among  the  rooks  only  when 
engaged  in  feeding  their  brood ;  afler  they  are  reared,  the  whole 
eommunity  often  migrate  to  other  places,  and  in  winter  they  partially 
proceed  to  milder  climates.  They  swim  and  dive  with  the  utmost 
dexterity,  and  walk  better  than  the  allied  genera,  though  not  well ; 
their  flight  is  also  short  and  contracted,  they  skim  low  over  the  wa- 
ter, assisting  their  progress  by  strikin  the  surface  with  their  feet, 
and  rarely  rise  to  any  greater  height.  They  feed  on  cruptacea,  mol- 
lusca,  and  other  small  marine  animals,  as  well  as  on  some  sea-weeds, 
and  out  their  food  with  their  sharp  bill  proviors  to  swallowing  it. 

The  Fufiins  are  found  in  the  high  latitudes  of  the  whole  northern 
hemisphere.  There  are  only  3  well  ascertained  species,  and  the 
whole  exist  in  North  America. 


TUFTED  MORMON,  OR  PUFFIN. 

(Mormon  eirrhitus,  Temm.  Bonap.  Synops.  p.  4S9.  No.  878.  Mea 
drrhaiat  Pallas,  Spicil.  Zool.  fascic.  v.  p.  7.  tab.  1.  Laih.  8. 
Tufted  Auk,  Penh.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  225.  No.  482.  Bcrr.  PI. 
Enlum.  761.  Fraterevia  cirrAoto,  Vixill.  Gal.  des  Ois.  pi.  296. 
[adult].) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Blackish,  quill  shafts  white  ;  eye-brows  wt'ite,  pen- 
dently  tufted  behind ;  the  bill  moderately  compressed,  furnished 
at  base  with  a  horny  sheath,  upper  mandible  only,  grooved.  — 
In  the  young  the  bill  is  smooth,  and  the  head  destitute  of  orna- 
ments. 

This  singular  species  inhabits  the  shores  of  Kamtschatka, 
the  Kurile  and  other  intervening  islands  between  Asia  and 
America,  on  the  western  coast  of  which  they  are  also  not 
uncommon  in  the  winter.  According  to  Mr.  Audubon,  an 
individual  of  this  species  has  been  killed  at  the  mouth  of 
Kennebeck  river,  ini  Maine.     In  its  manners  it  resembles 


640 


WEB-rOOTED    BIRD? 


the  Puffin.  Passing  the  day  chiefly  at  t>  •,  'n  the  vicinity 
of  the  rocks,  into  whose  clefts,  or  the  burrows  they  construct 
for  themselves,  they  retire  at  night ;  these  also  are  their  resorts 
for  breeding,  and  different  from  others  of  this  tribe,  are  said 
to  make  a  nest  of  marine  weeds  lined  with  feathers,  in  which 
they  deposit  a  single  white  egg  in  the  latter  end  of  May  or 
beginning  of  June.  They  are  monogamous ;  and  are  said 
to  bite  fiercely  when  taken.  Their  food  consists  of  small 
Crustacea,  crabs  and  shrimps,  as  well  as  shell-fish  which 
they,  force  from  the  rocks  with  their  powerful  bills. 

The  beautiful  silky  lateral  tufls  of  feathers  which  orna- 
ment the  head  of  this  bird  are  greatly  esteemed  by  the  rude 
natives  as  an  object  of  decoration.  Their  skins  are  em- 
ployed by  the  inhabitants  of  Kamtschatka  as  an  article 
of  clothing,  for  which  they  are  fitted  by  seaming  together. 
The  eggs  are  also  commonly  eaten,  but  the  flesh  is  hard  and 
insipid.  ,^    , 

The  Tufled  Mormon,  is  about  19  inches  in  length;  the  bill  1} 
inches,  and  the  same  in  depth  at  the  base,  crossed  with  8  furrows ;  its 
colors  a  fine  red,  yellow, and  corneous.  Irids  yellowish-browu.  Fore- 
head, sides  of  the  head  and  chin,  white.  Over  each  eye  arises  a 
tuft  of  feathers  4  inches  or  more  in  length,  which  falls  elegantly  on 
each  side  of  the  neck,  extending  almost  to  the  back ;  these  are  white, 
but  buff  yellow  towards  their  extremities.  The  rest  of  the  plumage 
is  black,  paler  on  the  under  parts,  and  inclining  to  cinereous.  Tail 
▼ery  short.  Legs  brownish-orange.  The  female  is  somewhat  less, 
and  said  to  have  only  two  furrows  across  the  bill  in  place  of  three, 
and  the  superciliary  tuft  is  smaller. 


'.I; 


LAROB-BILLBD   rVTWlH. 


541 


LARGE-BILLED  PUFFIN. 

(Mormon  glaeialia,  Liach.  Borap.  Synopi.  p.  430.  No.  870.  Tkmm. 
Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  938.  in  a  note.) 

Sp.  Ciiaract.  —  Black,  beneath  white,  with  a  broad  black  collar  ; 
the  bill  exceedingly  high,  moderately  comprcMod ;  both  mandibles 
with  at  moit  two  grooves  before  the  noatrils ;  the  lower  mandible 
much  curved.  —  In  the  young  the  bill  is  much  imaller,  and  scarcely 
grooved. 

Tuia  species,  which  I  know  only  from  the  indication  of 
Temminck  and  the  Prince  of  Musignano,  is  said  to  inhabit 
the  Arctic  parts  of  both  continents;  and  is  not  uncommon 
in  winter  on  the  coasts  of  the  United  States.  It  is  also  a 
rare  and  accidental  visiter  in  northern  Europe.  Its  plum- 
age as  well  as  habits  are  probably  very  similar  with  those  of 
the  Puffin. 


46 


i-k. 


iK-rr-. 


't^' 


i^y 


i.Jtir 


■U: 


■><     I 


f*^ 


4  J  f 


PUFFIN,  Oft  COULTERNEB. 

{Mormon  arcticus,  Illiger.  Bonap.  Synopa.  p.  430.  No.  380.  M.  fra- 
terciila,  Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  933.  ^Ica  arctica,  Linn.  Gmel. 
Syst.  i.  sp.  4.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  792.  sp.  3.  ^.  labradora,  Lath. 
Ind.  ii.  sp.  4.  and  ^.  deleata,  Brunn.  Orn.  Boreal.  No.  104.  [the 
young].  Le  Macareux,  Buff.  Ois.  ix.  p.  358.  t.  26.  Id.  PI.  Enlum. 
275.  [adult].  Edwards,  tab.  358.  fig.  1..  Puffin,  Penn.  Brit. 
Zool.  p.  135.  t.  H.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  427,  and  428.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Black,  beneath  white;  a  broad  black  collar  round 
the  neck ;  bill  red,  much  compressed,  both  mandibles  with  at 
least  three  lateral  grooves  before  the  nostrils,  the  lower  mandi> 
ble  but  little  curved.  —  In  the  young,  the  bill  is  yellowish-dusky, 
and  even. 

The  Puffin  is  a  general  inhabitant  of  the  cold  and  in- 
clement regions  of  the  whole  northern  hemisphere.  On 
the  coasts  of  northern  Europe  they  are  met  with  to  the  Icy 
Sea.  They  are  found  in  Iceland,  Greenland,  Spitzbergen 
and  the  Feroe  Isles ;  on  the  coast  of  Kamtschatka  and  the 
Kuriles  they  are  also  common.    In  the  temperate  climates 


PUFFIN,    OR   COVLTERNEB. 


643 


of  Great  Britain,  as  well  as  in  the  Shetland  and  Orkney 
Isles,  they  likewise  breed  in  large  communities ;  as,  at  the 
Farn  Isles  off  the  coast  of  Northumberland,  Priestholm 
Isle,  near  Anglesea,  the  small  islands  off  St.  David's  in 
Wales,  the  Isle  of  Wight,  the  cliffs  of  Beachy  Head,  Dover, 
Scarborough,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Holyhead.  They  were 
also  found  by  Audubon  on  the  sterile  and  dreary  coast  of 
Labrador,  but  not  beyond  Brador ;  they  also  probably  inhabit 
the  coasts  of  Newfoundland,  and  in  the  winter  are  seen 
in  great  numbers  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  They  are  little 
more  than  stragglers  on  the  coast  of  New  England,  but  pro- 
ceed in  the  course  of  the  season  as  far  south  as  Carolina, 
according  to  Catesby.  In  Europe  they  are  also  seen  on  the 
coasts  of  Andalusia  in  Spain. 

In  England,  at  Priestholm  Isle,  they  are  seen  in  flocks 
innumerable.  They  assemble  and  begin  to  visit  the  island 
early  in  April,  but  do  not  commence  their  incubation  until 
the  first  week  in  May.  They  make  no  proper  nest,  but 
burrow  deep  holes  in  the  loose  earth,  in  the  labor  of  which 
both  male  and  female  unite,  forming  excavations  three  or  four 
feet  in  depth.  As  this  labor  is  very  considerable  they  some- 
times content  themselves  with  the  deserted  burrow  of  the 
rabbit,  and  probably  at  times  dislodge  the  owners  for  this 
coveted  convenience.  They  lay  a  single  whitish  colored 
egg  on  the  bare  mould  of  their  den.  The  young  are  hatch- 
ed by  the  beginning  of  July,  and  are  attentively  fed  by  the 
assiduous  parents  who  are  now  seen  busily  engaged  fishing 
for  them,  and  bringing  their  prey  in  the  bill,  until  they  are 
so  far  grown  as  to  feed  and  defend  themselves.  About  the 
close  of  August  they  all  go  off  in  a  body  to  a  single  bird, 
and  indeed,  so  completely,  that  they  desert  the  young  ones 
which  are  hatched  late,  leaving  them  a  prey  to  the  Falcon, 
and  other  rapacious  birds  who  watch  for  them  at  the  mouths 
of  their  holes.  Yet  notwithstanding  this  apparent  neglect  of 


1 


544 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


their  young  at  this  time,  when  every  other  instinct  is  merged 
in  the  desire  and  necessity  of  migration,  probably  after  food, 
no  bird  is  more  attentive  to  them  in  general ;  since  they 
will  suffer  themselves  to  be  taken  by  the  hand,  and  use  every 
endeavor  to  save  and  screen  their  young,  biting  not  only 
their  antagonist,  but,  when  laid  hold  of  by  the  wings,  inflict- 
ing bites  on  themselves,  as  if  actuated  by  the  agonies  of 
despair ;  and  when  released,  instead  of  flying  away,  they 
hurry  again  into  the  burrow  to  their  cherished  young. 

The  Pufiin,  essentially  aquatic  in  its  nature  and  habits, 
makes  no  great  progress  in  the  air,  taking  wing  with  diffi- 
culty ;  and  it  walks  on  the  whole  length  of  the  leg  and  foot 
with  a  wriggling  awkward  gait.  In  tempestuous  weather 
they  seek  shelter  in  caverns,  the  holes  of  the  nearest  rocks, 
in  their  burrows,  or  in  the  rabbit  holes  on  the  beach,  in 
which  they  dose  till  the  return  of  calmer  weather.  Though 
accustomed  to  the  severest  cold,  they  are  unable  to  brave 
the  storm,  and  when  overtaken  by  it  are  often  drowned,  .ind 
cast  dead  on  the  shore.  Their  food  consists  of  various 
kinds  of  small  fish,  particularly  sprats,  the  smaller  kinds  of 
crabs,  shrimps  and  sea-weeds,  and  it  is  not  improbable  but 
that  their  sudden  migrations  are  regulated  by  the  presence  or 
absence  of  certain  kinds  of  fish  on  which  they  delight  to 
feed.  They  are  excessively  rank  in  flavor,  yet  the  young, 
preserved  with  spices  and  pickiec',  are  by  some  people  much 
admired.  They  are  even  potted  at  St.  Kildaand  elsewhere, 
and  sent  to  London  as  rarities.   1 

Though  pertinacious  in  attachment  to  their  favorite  breed- 
ing places,  they  have  sometimes  been  known  to  desert  them 
in  a  very  unaccountable  manner.  At  the  great  isle  of  Arran, 
Galway  Bay,  in  Ireland,  the  stupendous  cliffs  to  the  south- 
west of  the  island,  which  from  time  immemorial  had  been 
the  place  of  resort,  or  rather  the  natural  habitation  of  such 
numbers  of  Puffins,  as  is  almost  incredible,  was  at  once  de- 


PUFFIN,   OR   COULTERNEB. 


546 


serted  on  the  24th  of  June,  by  the  entire  species,  who  thus 
abandoned  their  eggs  and  young,  and  went  off  to  sea.  The 
like  incident  is  said  to  have  happened  forty  years  previous 
and  no  reason  could  be  assigned  for  this  extraordinary 
dereliction. 

Among  the  enemies  of  the  Coulternebs  is  sometimes  the 
piraticalraven,  who  makes  bold  to  offer  battle ;  but  as  soon 
as  he  approaches,  the  defender  of  the  premises  catches  him 
under  the  throat  with  her  beak,  and  sticks  her  claws  into 
his  breast  till  he  screams  out  with  pain  and  tries  to  get  away ; 
but  the  Coulterneb  retains  her  hold,  and  tumbles  him  about, 
till  both  frequently  fall  into  the  sea,  where  the  aggressor  is 
drowned,  and  the  Puffin  returns  in  triumph  to  her  nest.  But 
should  the  raven  at  the  first  onset,  get  hold  of  the  Coulter- 
neb's  neck  he  generally  comes  off  victorious,  killing  the 
mother  and  feasting  on  her  eggs  or  young.  The  fishermen 
sometimes  draw  them  out  of  their  burrows  by  introducing 
tlie  hand  into  the  hole,  which  is  seized  by  the  bird,  who 
suffers  himself  to  be  pulled  out  rather  than  lose  his  hold. 
Their  bite  is  however  very  severe,  and  they  can,  when  irri- 
tated, take  out  a  piece  of  flesh  from  a  man's  hand  without 
any  extraordinary  effort.  When  reared  and  domesticattd 
they  become  quite  tame,  and  in  the  end  familiar. 

The  length  of  the  Puffin  is  a  little  o\  s^r  12  inches.  The  half  of 
the  bill  adjoining  the  head  is  lead-blue,  itie  other  part  to  the  tip,  red. 
The  corners  of  the  mouth  are  puckered  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of  star. 
The  upper  mandible  with  4  furrows,  the  under  with  3.  The  irids  are 
hazel.  Orbits  red.  Above  the  03  o  is  a  triangular  calious  protuber- 
ance, beneath  an  oblong  one.  The  top  of  the  head  and  Vv'hole  upper 
parts  are  black,  passing  round  the  neck  in  a  collar.  The  sides  of 
the  head  and  all  the  under  parts  are  pure  white.  The  chin  in  some 
is  grey,  in  others  white,  the  ch.eks  are  also  grey.  Quills  dusky. 
Tail  short.  Legs  and  feet  orange  ;  claws  black,  the  inner  one  much 
hooked. 

46* 


M 


I 


546 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


.  -  , 


AUKS.     (Alca,  Linn.) 

The  BILL  robust  and  shorter  than  the  head,  compressed,  broad  at 
the  base,  higher  in  the  middle,  feathered  to  the  nostrils,  tumid, 
grooved  and  plaited  on  the  sides,  hooked  at  the  point ;  upper  mandi- 
ble convex,  strongly  curved  from  the  middle,  hooked  and  acute  at 
the  tip  ;  the  lower  gibbous  below  the  point,  shorter  and  obliquely 
truncated ;  the  feathers  of  the  face  advancing  to  the  middle  of  both 
mandibljps.  Nostrils  medial,  marginal,  short,  linear,  pervious,  half 
closed  by  the  feathered  membrane,  and  scarcely  perceptible.  Tongue 
thick,  oblong  and  acute.  Head  depressed,  narrowed  before,  and 
rounded  behind.  THbia  much  retracted ;  tarsus  rather  robust,  carin- 
ated  on  both  sides ;  webs  entire ;  nuils  moderately  curved,  acute, 
the  middle  one  largest.  Wings  short,  and  acute  ;  quills  sharp  pointed  ; 
Ist  primary  longest ;  secondaries  very  short.  The  tail  composed  of 
13  or  16  acute  feathers. 

The  sexes  similar  in  their  plumage.  The  young  have  smaller  and 
nearly  even  bills.  They  moult  twice  in  the  year,  changing  the  co- 
lors of  the  head.     The  feathers  short.  ' 

The  true  Auks  live  out  at  sea,  not  far  from  the  shore ;  those  that 
have  the  ability,  fly  rapidly,  though  usually  but  for  short  distances, 
and  generally  dive  the  instant  they  alight ;  they  are  very  dexterous 
beneath  the  water,  pursuing  their  prey  with  great  certainty  and 
address,  making  use  of  their  wings  as  powerful  oars.  Though  they 
walk  awkwardly,  they  yet  sometimes  proceed  swiftly.  They  breed 
in  large  companies  in  caves  and  ci°fts  of  rocks,  where  they  also 
retire  for  shelter  and  repose.  They  lay  but  a  single  disproportionately 
large  egg  ;  and  the  young  are  fed  by  regurgitation  for  a  considerable 
time,  and  also  after  leaving  the  eyry.  They  feed  on  fishes  and  small 
marine  animals,  which  they  obtain  chiefly  by  diving. 

These  are  chiefly  arctic  birds :  the  genus  comprehends  two  widely 
different  and  apparently  incongruous  species ;  one  of  which,  the 
largest  of  the  natural  order  to  which  it  belongs,  scarcely  ever  leaves 
the  arctic  circle. 


Sp. 


( 


t      RAZOR-BILL.     iVifY' 


RAZOR-BILL. 


647 


(^Icatordafhivv.  Gmel.  Syst.  i.  p.551.  sp.  1.  Lath.  Ind.  ii.2.  sp.S. 
BoNAP.  Synops.  p.  431.  No.  381.  Timm.  Man.  d'Oru.  ii.  p  986. 
Le  Pingouin,  Buff.  Ois.  ix.  p.  390.  t.  27.  Id.  PI.  Enlum.  1003. 
[summer  dref.s].  and  1004.  [winter  plumage].  Razor-Bill  Auk, 
Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  425.  Edwaru'.,  Glean,  tab.  358.  fig.  2. 
Alca  pica,  Gmel.  i.  sp.  2.  A.  minor,  Briss.  vi.  p.  92.  t.  8.  fig.  2. 
[young  male].  Jllca  unisulcata,  Brunn.  Orn.  Boreal,  p.  23.  No. 
103.  Black-Billed  Auk,  Lath.  Syn.  vi.  p.  320.  Penn.  Arct. 
Zool.  ii.  No.  426.  Ib.  Brit.  Zool.  p.  137.  t.  H.  1.  [young  after  the 
first  moult].  A.  balthica,  Brunn.  Orn.  Boreal,  p.  25.  sp.  101. 
[winter  dress].) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Black,  beneath  white;  wings  capable  of  flight, 
when  folded  extending  to  the  rump ;  tail  moderate,  wedge-shaped, 
composed  of  12  feathers.  —  Adult,  the  bill  with  3  or  4  lateral 
grooves.  Summer  plumage,  with  the  whole  head  black  ;  a  white 
line  from  the  bill  to  the  eye.     In  the  young  the  bill  is  even. 

The  Razor-Bill,  is  another  of  those  gregarious  marine 
birds  which  dwell  amidst  the  wildest  scenes  of  nature,  and 
penetrate  into  the  most  dreary  hyperboreftl  climates  through- 
out the  whole  of  the  northern  hemisphere.  They  abound 
in  the  north  of  Europe,  as  far  as  Iceland  and  Greenland. 
And  in  America  swarm  on  the  bleak  and  barren  coasts  of 
Labrador.  From  the  White  Sea  they  extend  their  colonies 
along  the  Arctic  Asiatic  shores,  to  Kamtschatka  and  the 
gulph  of  Ochotsk.  They  also  penetrate  into  the  mterior  of 
the  Baltic.  In  the  winter  season,  the  young,  migrate  into 
the  Mediterranean,  being  seen  along  the  coast  of  Candia 
and  Crete,  and  are  very  common  in  the  Bay  of  Gibraltar. 
They  also  visit  the  coasts  of  France  and  Holland  at  the 
same  season.  Small  groups  of  from  10  to  12  proceed  along 
the  coasts  of  the  United  States  as  far  as  New  York  ;*  in 

'*'  AuouBoiT,  in  lit. 


..  i 


548 


WEB-FOOTED    BIRDS. 


severe  winters  remaining  in  deep  water,  but  they  are  by  no 
means  common,  and  scarcely  ever  seen  in  Massachusetts 
Bay. 

Like  most  of  the  birds  of  this  family,  they  have  a  steady 
predilection  for  their  ancient  eyry.  From  time  immemo- 
rial they  resort  to  the  same  rocks  and  coasts,  and  there  are 
but  few  places,  sufficiently  desert,  rocky  and  inaccessible, 
suited  to  their  furtive  habits,  and  marine  food.  One  of  their 
great  resorts  in  England,  are  the  Needle-rocks  and  other 
precipitous  cliffs,  so  dangerous  to  the  shipwrecked  mariner, 
which  flank  the  romantic  Isle  of  Wight.  As  curious  and 
striking  works  of  nature  and  instinct,  these,  and  the  birds 
which  frequent  them  afford  an  iiiteiesting  spectacle  in  May 
and  June.  The  Razor-Bills  are  here  in  such  numbers  that 
a  boat  full  might  be  killed  in  a  day;  and  the  eggs  being 
esteemed  a  delicacy,  particularly  for  sallads,  the  fishermen 
and  other  indigent  and  adventurous  inhabitants  traverse  the 
precipices  in  search  of  the  pickle  Samphire,  and  the  eggs 
of  the  Murre.  Some  of  these  stupendous  cliffs  are  600  feet 
above  the  yawning  deep  which  lashes  and  frets  them  into 
gloomy  caverns.  Seaward  they  present  rugged  and  deeply 
indented  cliffs,  on  whose  rude  shelvings  and  ledges,  the  birds 
arrange  themselves  by  thousands,  and  without  further  prepa- 
ration lay  their  eggs,  which  lie  as  it  were  strewed  without  pre- 
caution by  hundreds  in  a  row,  no  way  attached  or  defended 
by  the  rocks,  so  that  in  a  gale  of  wind  whole  ranks  of  them 
are  swept  into  the  sea.  To  these  otherwise  inaccessible 
deposits  the  dauntless  fowlers  ascend,  and  passing  intrepidly 
from  rock  to  rock,  collect  the  eggs,  and  descend  with  the 
same  i  iJiffer  .iCe.  In  most  places,  however,  the  attempt  is 
made  fVom  above.  Thr  adventurer  is  let  down  from  the 
slope  c -ritiguous  to  the  brink  of  the  cliff,  by  a  rope,  sus- 
tained by  a  single  assistant,  who  lowering  his  companion, 
depends  on  his  personal  strength  alcme  to  support  him; 


RAZOR-BILL. 


549 


which  if  failing,  the  fowler  is  dashed  to  pieces,  or  drowned 
in  the  sea  which  roars  and  heaves  below. 

This  scene,  on  the  coast  of  Dover,  is  most  graphically  de- 
scribed by  that  immortal  bard,  who  delighted  to  hold  '  as 
't  were  the  mirror  up  to  nature.'  / 


•  How  fearful 


V^i 


And  dizzy  'tis  to  cast  one's  eyes  so  low ! 
The  Crows,  and  Choughs*  that  wing  the  midway  air, 
Show  scarce  so  gross  as  beetles  :  —  Half  way  down 
Hangs  one  that  gathers  Samphire,  dreadful  trade  ! 
Methinks,  he  seems  no  bigger  than  his  head  :  ,  . 

The  fishermen,  that  walk  upon  the  beach, 
Appear  like  mice  ;  and  yon  tall  anchoring  bark, 
Diminished  to  her  cock,  her  cock,  a  buoy  "^ 

Almost  too  small  for  sight.     The  murmuring  surge, 
That  on  the  unnumbered  idle  pebbles  chafes, 
Cannot  be  heard  so  high ;  —  I'll  look  no  more ; 
Lest  my  brain  turn,  and  the  deficient  sight 
Topple  down  headlong. 


:'*%.' 


),  . 


In  order  to  study  the  habits  of  these  marine  birds,  the 
celebrated  Edwards  spent  several  days  among  these  terrific 
and  romantic  rocks.  If  a  cannon  was  fired,  the  air  was 
darkened  with  a  black  cloud  of  the  cliff  birds  which  issued 
by  thousands  from  every  hole  and  cranny  as  if  summoned 
into  sudden  existence  by  the  work  of  enchantment.  They 
fly  about  in  silence  near  to  the  surface  of  the  sea,  perform  a 
few  circuits ;  and,  on  the  removal  of  the  cause  of  alarm, 
return  soon  to  their  eyry,  or  alighting  on  the  waves,  dive 
out  of  the  way  of  harm,  until  well  asimred  that  no  enemy 
is  near.       >^:h\    '-..<•-.::  .'-^:»p?  .  ■ -.    ;J 

The  egg  of  the  Razor-Bill  is  very  large  for  the  size  of 
the  bird,  being  about  3^  inches  long,  pointed  towards  the 


n    : 


*  In  all  probability  the  very  birds  in  question,  Murrea  nnd  Guillemots,  rather  than 
either  the  one  or  the  other  here  introduced. 


■^ 


550 


WEB-FOOT£D    BIRDS. 


smaller  end,  pure  white,  or  sometimes  yellowish,  largely  and 
rather  uniformly  blotched  and  streaked  with  very  dark 
brown,  but  principally  towards  the  larger  end.  They  lay 
but  one,  except  when  robbed  of  the  first,  and  if  this  is  taken 
they  will  sometimes  give  a  third.  These  birds,  which  Mr. 
Audubon  found  breeding  in  great  numbers  on  the  coast  of 
Labrador,  generally  took  possession  of  the  most  rugged  and 
precipitous  isles,  in  the  deep  indentations  and  fissures  of 
which  they  crowded,  and  deposited  their  eggs  as  near  to- 
gether as  distinct  proprietorship  would  admit,  commonly 
upon  a  nest  of  pebbles,  artificially  collected  together,  under 
and  between  which  the  dripping  waters  and  melting  ice 
thus  passed  without  ever  coming  in  cont  ct  with  their  eggs. 
The  Murre  sits  on  her  nest  in  an  upi  'ht  posture,  and 
with  her  head  facing  the  wind.  The  young  are  fed  by  re- 
gurgitated food  until  they  attain  a  considerable  size  ;  after 
which  the  small  fish,  on  which  old  and  young  principally 
feed,  are  merely  laid  before  them.  They  leave  their  rock, 
or  nest  when  about  half  grown,  and  then  immediately  com- 
mence fishing  for  themselves.  Thousands  of  these  birds 
are  here  seen  breeding  on  and  about  the  same  rock.* 

The  flight  of  the  Razor-Bill  is  rapid,  and  according  to 
Mr.  Audubon,  sometimes  even  greatly  protracted,  but  low 
above  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  sustained  by  a  constant, 
stiff  and  short  flapping  of  the  wings.  It  dives  to  great  depths, 
and  swims  under  the  surface  with  considerable  velocity, 
using  its  wings  as  flattened  fins,  and  in  this  manner,  like 
the  Divers,  they  may  be  seen  pursuing  and  seizing  their 
prey,  Besides  Labrador,  Mr.  A.  found  that  they  occasion- 
ally bred  in  the  island  of  Grand  Manan,  the  Seal  Islands, 
and  others  situated  in  the  entrance  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy, 
Though  they  walk  and  run  awkwardly,  they  remove  swiftly, 


*  Audubon,  in  lit. 


RAZOft-BfLL.  ^   ' 


551 


and  can  easily  escape  from  place  to  place.  The  bite  of  the 
old  bird,  like  that  of  the  Puffin,  is  very  severe.  The  fish- 
ermen of  this  region  call  them  the  Hawk-Billed  Murre. 
Their  flesh  is  quite  palatable,  although  very  dark,  and  much 
employed  by  the  Greenlanders,  according  to  Crantz,  form- 
ing their  chief  subsistence  during  the  months  of  February 
and  March.  They  are  killed  with  missiles,  chased  and 
driven  ashore  in  canoes,  or  taken  in  nets  made  of  split 
whalebone.  They  also  use  their  skins  for  clothing.  The 
eggs  are  everywhere  accounted  a  delicacy ;  and  the  feathers 
of  the  breast  are  extremely  fine,  warm  and  elastic.  For 
the  sake  of  this  handful  of  feathers,  according  to  Audubon, 
thousands  of  these  birds  are  killed  in  Labrador  and  their 
bodies  strewed  on  the  shore.  The  islands  between  the  small 
port  of  Little  Macatine  and  Brador,  abound  with  these  and 
other  allied  marine  birds,  whose  eggs  are  collected  by  the 
inhabitants  of  Nova  Scotia.  For  this  purpose,  they  com- 
mence by  trampling  on  all  they  find  laid,  and  the  following 
day  begin  to  collect  those  which  are  newly  dropped  ;  and 
such  is  the  abundance  of  the  eggs,  that  Mr.  A.  fell  in  with 
a  party  of  three  men,  who,  in  the  course  of  six  weeks,  had 
collected  30,000  dozen,  of  the  estimated  value  of  400  pounds 
sterling  !  Beyond  Brador  the  Murrcs  and  Puffins  were  no 
longer  found. 

The  length  of  the  Razor- Bill  is  about  15  inches  according  to  Tem- 
minck,  and  18  by  Pennant  and  Montagu  !  in  the  winter  plumage 
of  the  adults,  the  summit  of  the  head,  nape,  sides  of  the  neck  and  all 
the  other  upper  parts  are  of  a  deep  black.  A  longitudinal  b^nd  of 
white  divided  by  brown  spots,  extends  from  the  middle  of  the  till  to 
the  eyes.  Quills  blackish-brown.  The  secondaries  tipped  with 
white.  Throat,  forepart  of  the  neck,  breast,  and  all  the  lower  parts 
pure  white.  A  space  of  white  spotted  with  ash  occupies  the  sides 
of  the  occiput,  and  there  is  a  narrow  black  stripe  behind  the  eyes. 
The  bill  black,  marked  with  3  or  4  grooves,  of  which  the  middle  one 


662 


WEB-FOOTSD    BIRDS. 


forms  a  transverte  white  band.    Inaide  of  the  bill  livid  yellow.    Jria 
bright  brown.     Fi  ot  blackiih-aah. 

77(e  young  of  the  year,  resemble  the  adults  in  winter  plumage ; 
but  the  bill  is  smaller,  and  not  grooved  with  v/bite.  The  summit  of 
the  head  and  nape  is  of  an  ashy-blaok.  Al]  'he  lower  parts  are 
white ;  this  white,  however,  is  clouded  with  ash,  which  prevails 
equally  upon  the  sides  of  the  neck  and  towardn  the  occiput,  where 
this  color  advances  in  the  form  of  an  angle.  The  bill  is  small,  very 
Itttle  elevated,  deprived  of  tlio  groove  and  scarcely  hooked  at  the 
point.  The  iris  alsi^  blackisii.  It  is  then  ^Ica  pica  of  Gmelin  and 
otherfl. 

In  the  summer  jtlumage,  the  narrow  band  which  goes  from  the  bill 
to  the  eyes  is  very  pure  white.  The  cheeks,  throat  and  superior  por- 
tion of  the  forepart  of  the  neck  is  of  a  deep  black,  appearing  shaded 
with  a  light  tint  of  reddish.  Inside  of  the  bill  bright  yellow,  the  rest 
tsiii  winter. 


,.  1) . 


%■ 


-'         '  •!•,*' 


{Alca 

701. 

p.  9; 

lum 
ii.  p 

Sp.  C 
usel( 
—  A 
head 
of  ti 
spot 

Th] 

est  lal 


^itm^fh^:. 


■m- 


1 


GREAT  AUK. 

{Mca  impennis,  Linn.  Faun.  Suec.  No.  140.  Lath.  Ind.  Orn.  ii.  p. 
791.  BoNAP.  Synops.  p.  432.  [in  note].  Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii. 
p.  939.  Le  Grand  Pingouin,  Buff.  Ois.  ix.  p.  393.  t.  29.  Id.  PI.  En- 
lum.  367.  Great  Auk,  Edwards,  tab.  147.  Penn.  Arct.  Zool. 
ii.  p.  220.  [4to.]  No.  424.  Id.  Brit.  Zool.  ii.  No.  229.) 

Sp.  Charact.  — Black,  beneath  white;  wings  extremely  short,  and 
useless  for  flight :  tail  short  and  rounded,  composed  of  16  feathers. 
—  ^dult  with  the  bill  grooved.  Summer  plumage,  with  the  whole 
head  and  throat  black ;  a  large  white  spot  on  each  side  of  the  base 
of  the  bill.  In  the  young  the  bill  is  even ;  and  there  is  no  white 
spot  on  the  front. 

The  Great  Auk,  or  Northern  Penguin,  inhabits  the  high- 
est latitudes  Oi  the  globe,  dwelling  by  choice  and  instinct 

47 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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554 


WEB-FOOTED   BIRDS. 


amidst  the  horrors  of  a  region  covered  with  eternal  ice. 
Here  it  is  commonly  found  upon  the  floating  masses  of  the 
gelid  ocean,  far  from  land,  to  which  alone  it  resorts  in  the 
season  of  procreation.     In  this  cheerless  climate, 


Ocean  itself  no  longer  can  resist 
The  binding  fury  ;  but,  in  all  its  rage 
Of  tempest  taken  by  the  boundless  ftost, 
Is  many  a  fathom  to  the  bottom  chain'd, 
And  bid  to  roar  no  more ;  a  bleak  expanse, 
Shagg'd  o'er  with  wavy  rocks,  cheerless,  and  void 
Of  every  life,  that  from  the  dreary  mouths 
Flies  conscious  southward. 


*- 


*: 


Deprived  of  the  use  of  wings,  degraded  as  it  were  from 
the  feathered  ranks,  and  almost  numbered  with  the  amphib- 
ious monsters  of  the  deep,  the  Auk  seems  condemned  to 
dwell  alone  in  those  desolate  and  forsaken  regions  of  the 
earth.     Yet  aided  by  all  bountiful  nature  he  finds  means  to 
subsist,  and  triumphs  over  all  the  physical  ills  of  his  condi- 
tion.    As  a  diver  he  remains  unrivalled,  proceeding  beneath 
the  water,  his  most  natural  element,  almost  with  the  velocity 
of  many  birds  in  the  air.     He  thus  contrives  to  vary  his 
situation  with  the  season,  migrating  for  short  distances,  like 
the  finny  prey  on  which  he  feeds.     In  the  Ferroe  isles,  Ice- 
land, Greenland  and  Newfoundland,  they  dwell  and  breed 
in  great  numbers.     They  nest  among  the  steepest  cliffs  of 
islands  remote  from  the  shore,  in  the  vicinity  of  floating  ice, 
taking  possession  of  caverns,  the  crannies  and  clefls  of 
rocks ;  or  they  dig  for  themselves  deep  burrows  in  which 
they  lay  their  only  egg,  about  the  size  of  that  of  the  Swan, 
whitish-yellow  marked  with  numerous  lines  and  spots  of 
.  black,  which  present  to  the  imagination  the  idea  of  Chinese 
characters.      They  are  so  unprolific,  that  if  this  egg  be 
taken  away,  they  lay  no  other  that  season.     Their  time  of 
breeding  is  June  and  July.         ,  .?,,,, 


liifal^lttil^tffTlV. 


GREAT   AUK. 


555 


/ 


» 


The  Auk  is  known  sometimes  to  breed  in  the  isle  of  St. 
Kilda;  and  in  Papa  Westra,  according  to  Mr.  Bullock,  for 
several  years  past  no  more  than  a  single  pair  had  made  their 
appearance.  They  feed  on  large  fish,*  and  also  on  some 
marine  plants,  as  well  as  those  which  grow  on  the  rocks 
contiguous  to  their  holes  or  burrows.  The  young  birds  tear 
up  the  roots  of  the  Rhodiola  rosea.  Many  are  said  to  breed 
on  the  desert  coasts  of  Newfoundland,  where  they  have 
been  seen  by  navigators,  though  not  recently.  According  to 
Pennant,  the  Esquimaux,  who  frequented  this  island  made 
clothing  of  the  skins  of  these  birds.  The  older  ones  are 
very  shy,  and  but  rarely  venture  to  the  shore,  on  which  they 
walk  badly,  though  the  young  are  not  unfrequently  met  with. 
When  fed  in  confinement,  it  expresses  its  anxiety  by  raising 
and  shaking  the  head  and  neck,  and  uttering  a  gurgling 
noise,  but  appears  to  be  on  the  whole,  essentially  dumb,  as 
well  as  deprived  of  flight.  ,     -  vy,,  : 

The  length  of  the  Northern  Penguin  ia  about  3  feet,  or  under.  Sum- 
mer dress :  in  front  of  the  eyes,  on  each  side  the  base  of  the  bill, 
there  is  a  large  white  spot.  Head,  nape,  back,  wings  and  tail  deep 
black.  Throat,  upper  parts,  and  sides  of  the  neck  black,  shaded  with 
dull  brown.  Flanks  deep  ash  color.  AH  the  lower  parts  pure  white, 
this  white  color  terminating  in  a  point  upon  the  fore  part  of  the  neck. 
The  lesser  quill  feathers  tipped  with  white,  producing  a  bar  on  the 
wing.  Bill  black  and  wide ;  upon  the  base  of  the  upper  mandible 
there  is  a  very  deep  groove  ;  at  the  point  6  others  with  a  white  gr.ouad; 
there  are  8  or  10  others  with  a  similar  ground  upon  the  point  of  the 
lower  mandible.  The  feet  and  iris  black.  The  wing  is  only  4  inches 
in  length. 

*  The  Cyclopterus  lumpus,  and  others. 


*p«i-*..*'  f  ■ 


V'  fe.  .^^ 


* 


* 

■4 


;>>',•-•  i  '  lit-.*'    ;  ,rf"-j',v,& r"t>- 


Mi*ni»A      *f=i  - 


■^_-9-r.  i-y*---* 


:■  1 1 


APPENDIX. 


yj.. 


\  I 


I 


CALIFORNIAN  VULTURE. 

(Cathartes    Californiamis,   Bonap.     Sareoramphus    CalifomianuSf 
Vigors,  Zool.  Joum.  ii.  p.  375.) 

This  bird  has  not  yet  been  discovered  to  the  eastward  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  According  to  Mr.  Douglas  (in  the 
Zoological  Journal)  it  is  common  in  the  woody  districts  of 
California,  migrating  in  summer  as  far  as  the  49th  parallel ; 
but  was  no  where  so  abundant  as  in  the  valley  of  the 
Columbia  between  the  Grand  Rapids  and  the  sea.  They 
build  in  the  thickest  of  the  Pine  forests,  seeming  to  give  a 
preference  to  those  trees  which  overhang  the  precipices  in 
the  least  accessible  parts  of  the  mountain  valleys.  The  nest 
is  large,  composed  of  strong  thorny  twigs  and  grass,  like 
that  of  the  eagle,  but  more  slovenly  put  together.  The 
pair  resort  to  the  same  eyry  year  after  year,  and  lay  2 
nearly  spherical  black  eggs,  about  the  size  of  those  of  the 
goose.  They  hatch  about  the  beginning  of  June,  and  incu- 
bate 29  or  30  days.  The  young  are  covered  with  thick 
whitish  down,  and  remain  incapable  of  leaving  the  nest 
until  the  fiftii  or  sixth  week.  Their  food  is  carrion,  or 
dead  fish ;  and  in  no  instance  are  they  observed  to  attack 
any  living  animal,  unless  it  be  wounded  and  unable  to  walk. 
In  quest  of  their  prey,  they  soar  to  a  great  height,  and  on 
discovering  a  wounded  deer,  or  other  animal,  they  follow  its 
track  until  it  sinks,  and  then  descend  upon  it  precipitately. 
47* 


«P*pilWP«PIWiPP«iHIWP*«VWW" 


658 


APPENDIX. 


I 


Crowding  to  the  spot  where  their  prey  is  discovered,  in  an 
hour  they  will  devour  a  stag  or  a  horse  to  a  skeleton.  Their 
voracity  seems  insatiable,  and  afler  gorging  themselves  be- 
come too  sluggish  and  indolent  to  remove  from  the  place 
of  their  repast,  perching  on  the  adjacent  trees  till  again 
aroused  by  the  recurring  calls  of  hunger.  Except,  however, 
afler  eating,  or  while  guarding  their  nest,  they  are  so  wary, 
that  the  hunter  can  scarcely  ever  approach  them  within  gun> 
shot.  Their  flight  is  slow,  steady  and  sailing,  with  scarcely 
any  apparent  motion  in  the  wings  :  but  they  are  seen  in  the 
greatest  numbers,  and  soar  highest  before  hurricanes  or 
thunder  storms.  , 

The  length  of  recent  specimens  was  56  inches. 


yi-i 


I 


r 


THE  MERLIN. 

(Falco  (Bsalon,  Tehm.  Man.  d'Orn.  i.  p.  27.  Rich,  and  Swains. 
North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  37.  pi.  25.  [female.]  Selbv,  Brit.  Orn.  i.  p. 
45.  pi.  18.  Dubious  Falcon,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  No.  112?) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Above  bluish-grey  spotted  and  striped  with  dusky 
and  ferruginous ;  the  head  dusky  and  striped ;  below  yellowish- 
white  with  oblong  spots ;  cere  and  feet  yellow.  —  Female  above, 
dusky  brown  barred  and  spotted  with  lighter  yellowish-brown. 

The  specimen  of  this  well  known  Falcon  of  the  old 
continent,  was  obtained  by  Dr.  Richardson  at  Carlton  House, 
in  the  Hudson's  Bay  fur  countries  in  the  month  of  May. 
A  second  specimen,  was  also  killed  at  the  Sault  St.  Marie, 
between  Lakes  Huron  and  Superior.  The  Merlin  often 
nests  on  the  ground,  very  closely  amidst  the  heath,  in  the 
north  of  England  ;  and  sometimes  they  deposit  their  eggs 
in  a  deserted  crow's  nest ;  these  are  said  to  be  of  a  plain 
chocolate  color.  Occasionally  they  are  seen  in  the  vicinity 
of  Boston. 


COMMON     BUZZARD. 


559 


\ 


The  length  14  inches.  (The  male  about  10  inches  long).  The  dorsal 
aspect  dull,  dusky  yellowish-brown,  varied  by  spots  and  short  trans- 
verse bars  of  dull  wood-brown.  Feathers  of  the  crown  centred 
with  blackish-brown ;  the  plumage  of  the  neck  lighter.  On  the 
back,  wing  and  tail  coverts,  the  wood-brown  forms  one  or  two  pairs 
of  roundish,  ill  defined  spots  on  each  feather  and  on  the  scapulars, 
bars.  The  primaries  with  from  5  to  7  pair  of  wood-brown  spots, 
those  on  the  outer  webs  small,  irregular,  and  near  the  shafts.  The 
tail  paler  and  duller  than  the  back,  except  at  the  end  where  it  is  also 
tipped  with  soiled  white,  and  crossed  by  5  narrow  bars  of  the  same 
color.  —  The  throat  white ;  cheeks,  sides  of  the  neck  and  breast, 
brownish-white,  streaked  lengthways  with  dark  liver-brown.  Belly 
and  thighs  white,  with  yellowish-brown  streaks  on  the  shafts.  Flanks 
and  wing  linings,  yellowish-brown  with  oval  white  marks.  Quilla 
barred  alternately  on  the  inside  with  dull  brown  and  wine-yellow. 
Under  tail  coverts  white.  Bill  bluish-black.  2d  ^and  3d  quilU 
longest.  —  Female. 


i  i 


COMMON  BUZZARD.  ^ 

(Falco  buteo,  Linn.  Buteo  vulgaris,  Rich,  and  Swains.  North.  ZooL 
ii.  p.  47.  pi.  27.  [male.]  Plain  Falcon,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p. 
207.  No  103.'  [young  female.']  F.  obsoletus,  Lath.  Ind.  i.  sp. 
61..') 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Blackish-brown ;  the  tail  darker,  crossed  by  about 
7  bars ;  below  dull  brown,  p.aler  on  the  belly  and  spotted,  whitish 
on  the  vent :  cere  and  feet  yellow.  —  Female  less  bright  on  the 
belly,  barred  with  blackish-brown;  and  with  the  cere  and  legs 
bluish-livid.  i  '  " 

The  Common  Buzzard,  according  to  Richardson,  ar- 
rives in  the  fur  countries  about  the  middle  of  April :  soon 
after  it  builds  its  nest,  and  having  reared  its  young,  departs 
about  the  end  of  September.  It  haunts  alluvial  lands  by 
the  banks  of  streams,  where  on  the  bough  of  a  tree  it  sits 
watching  patiently  for  the  approach  of  some  diminutive 
quadruped,  bird  or  reptile.  On  espying  its  prey,  it  glides 
of,  and  sweeping  easily  but  rapidly  down,  seizes  it  in  its 


Xi    \ 


w 


560 


^2'  APPENDIX. 


V 


claws.  When  disturbed  it  makes  a  short  circuit,  and  soon 
settles  on  some  other  perch.  Its  nest,  on  a  tree,  is  made  of 
short  sticks,  and  sparingly  lined  with  deer's  hair.  The  eggs 
3  to  5  in  number,  are  equal  in  size  to  those  of  the  domeatio 
fowl,  and  have  a  greenish-white  color,  with  a  few  large  dark- 
brown  blotches  at  the  thick  end.  It  was  seen  as  far  north 
as  the  57th  parallel,  and  it  most  probably  takes  a  still  high- 
er range.  In  France,  the  flesh  is  accounted  a  delicacy  and 
much  sought  after  during  winter. 

Length  of  the  male  Buzzard  about  23  inches.  —  The  dorsal  aspect 
between  clove  and  blackish-brown,  the  margins  of  the  feathers  paler; 
the  head  and  hind  part  of  the  back  darker,  the  edges  of  the  rest  of 
the  plumage  fading  into  soiled  yellowish-brown.  Quills  and  long 
scapulars,  blackish-brown ;  some  obscure  bars  on  the  former.  Secon- 
daries and  a  few  adjoining  primaries  narrowly  tipped  with  brownish- 
white.  Tail  deep  clove-brown,  wita  a  narrow  soiled  tip,  crossed  by 
about  7  obscure  bars  of  a  deeper  sl.\ade,  the  terminal  one  an  inch 
broad.  Under  surface  :  the  cheeks  cJove-brown ;  throat  white  ;  sides 
and  fore  part  of  the  neck,  and  upper  part  of  the  breast,  dull  brocoli- 
brown,  slightly  mixed  with  yellowish-brown.  Belly  and  thighs 
pale  yellowish  brown,  indistinctly  barred  with  white.  Vent  and 
under  tail  coverts  soiled  white.  Flanks  yellowish-brown,  with  some 
patches  of  clove-brown.  Tail  square,  beneath  very  pale  ash-grey, 
crossed  by  7  bars  of  clove-brown.  Bill  bluish- black.  Cere  and  legs 
yellowish.  Bill  broad  at  base,  flatly  convex  above,  much  compressed 
towards  the  tip,  which  forms  a  rather  slender  acute  hook.  The  low- 
er mandible  very  obliquely  truncated  at  the  end.  The  8d  quill 
longest.     ■-.::-.■■  ;!■::•;   T :  :  r  -  :- '^^^ -. :'"  .. '■' |  -^S ,    v^^::s>..  -,  >''iM -'■ -' 

The  general  color  of  the  female  similar  with  that  of  the  male,  but 
the  black  bars  on  the  tail  are  more  distinct ;  the  breast  darker,  the 
belly  less  bright,  and  as  well  as  the  flanks  studded  with  short  bars  of 
hlackish-brown.  The  cere  and  legs  have  a  bluish  livid  color.  The 
3d  and  4th  quills  are  also  equal.  —  Length  36  inches ;  tail  10. 


k 


%. 


"lik 


»  >J^i_jau*-^  ^v    n^'.   if        .    j/l 


ARCTIC   OR   WHITE    BORNEO   OWL. 


m 


•  X^^'^ 


ARCTIC  OR  WHITE  HORNED  OWL. 


(Strix  seatuUaea,  Linn.  S.  (Bubo)  arctiea,  Swains,  and  Richaroi. 
North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  86.  pi.  83.  Strix  maxima,  capite  aurito,  eorport 
niveo,  or  Oreat  Horned  White  Owl,  Bartram'b  Travels,  p.  289.) 

Br.  Charact  —  White  tinged  with  brown,  varied  with  blackiah* 
brown  bans  and  lines  :  beneath  brilliant  white,  slenderly  waved  on 
the  throat,  breast  and  flanks :  egrets  long,  composed  of  6  or  7 
feathers. 

Of  this  very  rare  and  beautiful  bird  only  one  specimen 
was  obtained  by  Dr.  Richardson  and  the  Expedition  to 
which  he  was  attached.  This  was  seen  flying  at  mid-day 
io  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Carlton  House,  and  was 
brought  down  with  an  arrow  by  an  Indian  boy. 

Imperfect  and  short  as  may  be  the  description  of  this 
bird  given  by  Linnaeus,  there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt 
but  that  it  is  the  present  rare  and  Arctic  bird.  Three  years 
ago,  an  individual  of  the  same  species  was  observed  in  this 
vicinity,  also  prowling  about  by  day,  and  remained,  in  the 
neighborhood  for  two  or  three  days. 

The  length  23JI  inches,  according  to  Richardson.  The  tail  8^. 
Of  the  bill  from  above,  1  inch  9  lines.  The  tarsus  2  inches  3  lines. 
The  face  white,  bounded  behind  by  blackish-brown,  succeeded  by 
white,  which  two  latter  colors  are  continued  in  a  mixed  band  across 
the  throat.  The  egrets  colored  at  the  base  like  the  adjoining  pl:.i- 
mage,  the  longer  feathers  tipped  with  blackish-brown,  their  ir  i.-r 
webs  white,  varied  with  wood-brown.  Above  slenderly  waved  wtii' 
dark  umber-brown,  and  white ;  the  white  tinged  with  pale  brown  on 
the  greater  wing  coverts,  some  of  the  scapulars,  and  particularly  on 
the  neck  and  lesser  wing  coverts.  The  quills  wood-brown,  white 
along  a  great  portion  of  their  inner  webs,  and  crossed  by  from  5  to  6 
umber-brown  bars  on  both  webs,  and  the  intervals  speckled  with  the 
flame.  Tail  feathers  white,  deeply  tinged  on  their  inner  webs  with 
wood-brown,  and  crossed  by  6  bars  of  dark-brown,  about  half  a* 
broad  as  the  intervening  spaces  :  their  tips  are  white.  —  Chin  white. 
The  throat  crossed  by  a  dark  band,  behind  which  there  is  a  large 
space  of  pure  white,  bounded  again  below  on  the  breast  by  blotchefl 


663 


APPENDIX. 


of  liver-brown  on  the  tips  of  the  feathera.  Belly  and  flanks  white, 
crossed  by  narrow,  regular  waving  bars  of  dark-brown.  The  vent, 
under  tail-coverts,  thighs  and  feet  pure  white.  The  linings  of  the 
wings  white,  with  the  exception  of  a  brown  spot  on  tlie  tips,  of  the 
greater  interior  coverts.  Bill  and  claws  bluish-black.  Irids  yellow. 
Fascial  disk  small,  incomplete  above  the  orbits.  Auditory  conch 
oval,  and  without  an  operculum.  Egrets  more  than  2  inches  long. 
Tips  of  the  folded  wings,  8j|  inches  from  the  end  of  the  rounded  tail. 
The  3d  and  8d  quills  longest. 


v-) 


TENGMALM'S  OWL. 


(Strix  Tengmalmi,  Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  i.  p.  94.  Vieiilot,  Gal.  des 
Ois.  pi.  23.  Richard,  and  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  94.  pi.  82. 
Strix  pasaerina,  Forster,  Phil.  Trans.  62.  p.  885.  No.  7.  New 
species  of  Owl,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  Suppl.  p.  GO.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Dusky-brown  spotted  with  white  ;  beneath  white 
also  blotched  with  dusky ;  tail  extending  far  beyond  the  tips  of 
the  wings,  crossed  by  5  uurruw  bunds  of  white  spots  ;  secondaries 
spotted  with  white  on  their  outer  webs.     A  small  species. 

This  is  a  small  and  strictly  nocturnal  species ;  and  so 
much  so  that  when  it  accidentally  wanders  abroad  by  day, 
it  is  so  much  dazzled  by  the  light  as  to  be  rendered  unable 
to  make  its  escape  when  surprised,  and  may  then  be  readily 
caught  by  the  hand.  Its  nocturnal  cry  consists  of  a  single 
melancholy  note,  repeated  at  the  long  intervals  of  a  minute 
or  two :  and  it  is  one  of  the  superstitious  practices  of  the 
Indians  to  whistle  when  they  hear  it;  and  if  the  bird  re- 
mains silent  afler  this  interrogatory  challenge,  the  speedy 
death  of  the  inquirer  is  augured ;  and  hence  among 
the  Crees  it  has  acquired  the  ominous  appellation  of  the 
Bird  of  Death  (Cheepomesees).  According  to  Mr.  Hutch- 
ins,  it  builds  a  nest  of  grass,  half  way  up  a  pine  tree,  and 
lays  2  eggs  in  the  month  of  May.  It  feeds  on  mice  and 
beetles.      It  probably  inhabits  all   the   forests  of  the  fur 


M 


h 


TRNOMALM  H    OWL. 


563 


\ 


countries  from  Great  Slave  Lake  to  the  United  States.  On 
the  banks  of  the  Saskatchewan,  it  is  so  common,  that  its 
voice  is  heard  almost  every  night  by  the  traveller  wherever 
he  may  select  his  camp. 

According  to  Richardson  its  length  is  11^  inches,  measured  over 
the  crown,  while  the  S.  acadica  similarly  measured  gives  only  10 
inches.     The  tail  in  this  species  is  5  inches  :  in  S.  acadica  only  thre* 
inches.     The  bill  whitish  on  the  ridge  and  at  the  tip ;    but  dark-co- 
lored on  the  sides.     Fascial  circle  blackish  round  the  orbits  and  at  the 
base  of  the  bill ;  the  rest  of  it  is  white,  with  black  shails  and  barbs 
towards  its  posterior  margin.     Ear-feathers  blackish-brown  with  a  few 
white  spots.  —  Move  liver-brown.     Tho  front  thickly  dotted   with 
round  white  spots,  one  only,  in  general,  on  each  featlior  near  its  tip; 
but,  in  a  few,  there  is  an  indication  of  a  pair  of  spots  lower  down. 
(In  S.  acadica,  the  white  forms  linear  streaks  along  the  shafts  of  the 
feathers  of  the  head).     Spots  on  the  occiput  somewhat  distant,  larger 
on  the  back  of  the  neck  and  shoulders,  each  spot  being  restricted  to 
the  middle  of  the  feather.     Only  2  or  3  spots  on  the  back,  but  many 
on  the  scapulars.     A  few  distant  round  spots  on  the  lesser  wing  cov- 
erts.    Coverts  of  the  primaries  unspotted,  except  on  their  inner  webs. 
The  quills  with  4  or  5  semi-orbicular  spots  on  the  margin  of  their 
outer  webs,  and  as  many  oblong  larger  spots,  extending  to  near  the 
margins  of  the  inner  ones.     The  outer  spots  of  the  2  first  primaries 
axe  nearly  obsolete.     The  secondaries  have  2  spots  on  their  outer 
webs,  and  usually  about  5  on  their  inner  ones.     The  tail  of  the  gen- 
eral color  of  the  upper  plumage,  crossed  by  5  narrow  interrupted 
white  bands  of  spots  not  extending  to  the  shafts  of  the  feathers. 
—  Below  there  is  a  general  mixture  of  white  and  dusky-brown,  dis- 
posed in  large  and  confluent  spots ;  the  white  occupies  the  lateral 
margins  of  the  feathers.     Wing  linings  white  with  some  blotches  of 
clove-brown.     The  feathers  of  the  legs  and  feet  soiled  yellowish- 
white,  with  some  obscure  brown  markings,     Conch  of  the  ear  partly 
semicircular,  with  a  long  narrow  operculum.     The  tips  of  the  wings 
when  folded  are  an  inch  and  a  quarter  shorter  than  the  tail.     The  3d 
quill  longest,  and  the  4th  is  nearly  equal  with  it. 

Note.  Besides  the  large  Spotted  Owl,  (Wapacutha)  of  Mr. 
Hutchins,  which.  Dr.  Richardson  considers  as  a  distinct  and  valid 
species,  1  have  seen  in  the  collection  of  the  Zoological  Gardens  in 
London  a  large  Owl,  labelled,  Bubo  Maxihus  from  Hudson's  Bay. 


664 


APPENDIX. 


An  Eared  ■pecie*  much  greater  than  Strix  virginiana,  darker,  mort 
mixed  with  fulvoui,  and  without  the  white  crescent  under  Um 
ohin.  The  iridi  were  alio  fiery  red  initead  of  aulpher  or  golden 
yellow.  Whether  this  specio  has  yet  been  published  or  otherwise  I 
am  unable  to  say,  but  leave  it  to  further  inquiry. 

LANIUS  BOREALIS,    Richard,  and  Swaing.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p. 

111.  pi.  33.  [female.] 
NoTi.  Mr.  Swainson  on  comparing  this  species  with  the  European 
L.  excvbUor  finds  that  it  is  obviously  larger ;  the  3d  quill  is  also 
shorter  than  the  Cth ;  the  8d  a  little  shorter  than  the  4th,  and  longer 
than  the  5th ;  the  4th  being  longest ;  and  this  disposition  of  the  quilli 
prevails  equally  in  both  sexes.  In  L.  excubitor  the  3d  and  4th  quills 
are  of  equal  length  and  the  longest,  while  the  2d  is  exactly  as  long  aa 
the  6th. 

So  complete,  at  times,  is  the  resemblance  between  the  Mocking^ 
Bird  (  Orpheus  polyglottus)  and  this  species  of  Lanius,  that  it  is  diflS* 
cult  to  distinguish  them  apart.  I  have  lately  heard  one  (November 
10th,  1838),  employed  in  a  low  and  soil  warble  resembling  that  of  the 
Song  Sparrow  at  the  present  season,  and  immediately  afler,  his  note 
changed  to  that  of  the  Cat- Bird.  Like  that  preeminent  minstrel  the 
Orpheus,  he  also  mounts  to  the  topmost  spray  of  some  lofly  tree  to 
display  his  deceptive  talent,  and  mislead  the  small  birds  so  as  to  bring 
them  within  his  reach.  His  attitudes  are  also  light  and  airy,  and  his 
graceful  flowing  tail  is  kept  in  fantastic  motion. 


it; 


AMERICAN  GREY  SHRIKE. 

(Lanius  excubitor oides,  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  115.  pi.  34.) 

Sp.  CnAUACT.  —  Deep  pearl  grey  J  beneath  wholly  white;  the  bill, 
frontal  line,  and  a  band  passing  over  the  eye  and  cheek,  black ; 
wings  short ;  tail  narrow,  long  wedge-form,  black,  with  a  white 
lateral  border. 

This  bird,  which  in  winter  is  seen  in  the  vicinity  of 
Boston,  is  a  more  southern  species  in  its  summer  range  than 
the  L.  horealis.  According  to  Richardson  it  does  not  ad- 
vance farther  north  than  the  54th  parallel ;  and  it  attains 


WIHTE-WINOED   flllRIKG. 


HM 


that  extremity  only  in  the  meridian  of  the  warm  and  sandy 
plains  of  the  Saskatchewan,  which  enjoy  an  earlier  spring 
and  longer  summer  than  the  densely  wooded  country  lying 
between  them  and  Hudston's  Bay.  Its  manners  are  similar 
with  those  of  L.  borealis.  It  feeds  much  on  gra.sshoppers 
which  abound  in  the  plains.  Mr.  Drummond  found  its  nest 
the  beginning  of  June,  in  a  willow  bush  ;  it  was  constructed 
of  the  twigs  of  a  wild  species  of  wormwood  and  dried  grass, 
and  finished  with  a  lining  of  feathers.  The  eggs  0  in 
number,  were  of  a  pale  yellowish-grey,  with  many  irregular 
and  confluent  spots  of  oil-green,  interspersed  with  others  of 
a  smoke-grey. 

Length  of  the  species  0^  inches  :  of  the  tail  4 ;  bill  from  above, 
7i  linos;  tarsus  1  inch.  —  The  head,  back,  and  lesser  wing  coverts, 
deep  pearl-grey ;  the  exterior  edges  of  the  scapulars  and  tail  coverts 
paler,  approaching  to  greyish-white.  A  black  band  commences  at 
the  nostrils,  unites  with  its  fellow  at  the  base  of  the  upper  inandi< 
ble,  and,  becoming  broader  as  it  passes  backwards,  terminates  obtuw- 
ly  on  the  side  of  the  neck  ;  it  also  includes  the  whole  of  the  upper 
and  under  eye-lids,  and  separates  the  grey  color  of  the  upper  ports 
of  the  head  from  the  white  of  the  lower  parts.  The  primaries  and 
their  coverts  are  umber-brown ;  all  the  former,  except  the  first  or 
■purious  one,  have  a  white  space  next  their  quills  half  an  inch  in 
breadth  ;  the  tips  pale,  except  the  3  next  the  secondaries,  which  are 
terminated  by  a  white  border.  Secondaries  and  their  oovcrts  black- 
ish-brown, tipt  with  white.  Tail  blackish-brown,  with  a  broad  white 
border,  the  2  centre  feathers  wholly  blackish-brown,  the  adjoinin/r 
one  on  each  side  of  them  having  a  minute  white  tip ;  and  the  outer 
one  having  the  whole  of  its  exterior  web,  and  two  thirds  of  its  inner 
web  white,  whilst  the  others  have  an  intermediate  quantity  of 
white.  —  Below  unspotted  white,  with  a  tinge  of  grey  on  the  flanks, 
and  of  broccoli-brown  on  the  linings  of  the  wings.  Bill  greenish- 
black.  Legs  dark  resinous-brown.  The  bill  rather  shorter  and 
broader  at  the  base  than  that  of  L.  borealis,  but  with  a  sharper  ridge 
and  a  more  slender  acute  point ;  the  lateral  tooth  very  acute.  The 
wings  short,  extending  within  2^  inches  of  the  end  of  the  tail,  3d 
and  4th  primaries  longest ;  2d  scarcely  shorter  than  the  Gth.     Tail 

48 


566 


-%m     APPENDIX. 


t 


long  and  cuneifonn,  the  outermost  feathers  being  nearly  an  inch  and 
a  quarter  shorter  than  the  middle  ones. 


K\ 


/ 


WHITE-WINGED  SHRIKE. 


..If 


^  (Lamtis  degans,  Swainsoic,  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  122.)  ■' 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Clear  bluish-grey,  beneath  unspotted  white ;  front* 
let  the  same  color  with  the  head ;  a  broad  white  band  across  the 
f  wing ;  a  slender  and  very  cuneiform  tail,  entirely  bordered  with 
. ,  white :  2d  quill  longer  than  the  6th,  the  4th  longest;  the  tarsus  ex- 
ceeding the  length  of  the  bill. 

A  specimen  of  this  handsome  Shrike  exists  in  the  British 
Museum,  to  which  it  was  presented  by  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company.  The  particular  district  of  its  residence  and 
habits  are  unknown.  It  is  readily  distinguished  by  the 
great  quantity  of  white  on  the  wings  and  tail,  the  narrower 
tail  feathers,  longer  tarsi,  and  less  curved  claws. 

Length  9  inches  9  lines ;  tail  4  inches  5  lines ;  bill  from  the  angle 
of  the  mouth  11  lines ;  from  above,  8  lines ;  tarsus  1  inch  2^  lines. 
Head  and  body  above  clear  bluish-grey ;  the  tail  coverts  somewhat 
lighter ;  exterior  margins  of  the  scapulars  nearly  white.  The  lat- 
eral marks  on  the  head,  the  wings,  with  the  exception  of  the  white 
parts,  and  the  middle  of  the  tail,  pitch-black.  The  white  band  on 
the  wing  1^  inches  broad,  crossing  the  bases  of  all  the  primaries, 
from  the  2d  to  the  10th,  inclusive.  The  secondaries  broadly  tipt 
with  white ;  their  exterior  margins,  and  the  whole  of  their  inner 
webs  (with  the  exception  of  a  black  patch  near  the  tips  of  the  first 
two),  also  white.  The  first  primary  and  the  three  tertiaries  are  black. 
The  2  central  pairs  of  tail  feathers  very  slightly  tipt  with  white ;  the 
2  next  pairs  broadly  tipt  with  the  same ;  the  2  outer  pairs  wholly 
white,  except  the  shafts  which  are  brownish.  Below  pure  white, 
except  the  brownish  tips  of  the  quills  and  the  centre  of  the  tail. 
Bill  and  legs  blackish ;  the  lower  mandible  not  pale  at  the  base  as  in 
L.borealis.  '' *  > 


, 


|r. 


OLIVE-SIDED   FLY-CATCHER. 


£07 


OLIVE-SIDED  FLY-CATCHER. 


(Museieapa  Cooperi,  Ncttall  and  Cooper,  Man.  Orn.  i.   p.  283. 
Tyrannua  boreaUs,  Swainson,  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  141.  pi.  35.) 

This  bird  appears  to  have  been  discovered  in  the  fur 
countries  about  the  same  time  as  in  the  United  States. 
According  to  Dr.  Richardson,  the  specimen,  figured  so  spi- 
ritedly in  the  Northern  Zoology  of  Canada,  was  shot  on  the 
banks  of  the  Saskatchewan  as  it  was  flying  near  the  ground. 

In  1832,  about  the  middle  of  June  the  same  pair  ap- 
parently, had  again  taken  possession  of  a  small  Juniper 
not  more  than  300  yards  from  the  tree  they  had  occupied 
tiie  preceding  year,  about  14  or  15  feet  up  which  they  had 
fixed  their  thin  twiggy  nest  as  in  the  preceding  year.  It 
contained  4  eggs  on  which  the  female  had  commenced  sit- 
ting ;  these,  except  in  their  superior  size,  were  precisely 
similar  with  those  of  the  Wood  Pewee,  yellowish-cream  color, 
with  dark  brown,  and  lavender  purple  spots,  rather  thinly 
dispersed.  Being  unfortunate  enough  to  shake  out  the  two 
eggs  I  intended  to  leave  in  the  nest,  the  pair  had  to  com- 
mence their  labors  of  preparing  for  a  progeny  anew ;  and  a 
few  days  afler  a  second  nest  was  made  in  another  Virginian 
Juniper  at  a  very  short  distance  from  the  preceding. 
The  present  year,  however,  they  did  not  return  to  their  ac- 
customed retreat,  and  no  individual  was  seen  in  this  vicin- 
ity. In  all  places  it  appears,  in  fact,  a  scarce  and  widely 
dispersed  species. 


LITTLE  TYRANT  FLY-CATCHER. 

(Musdcapa  pusilla.  Tyrannula  pusilla,  Swainson,  North.  Zool.  ii. 

p.  144.  pi.  46.  fig.  1.) 
tjp.  Charact.  —  Above    olive;    paler    beneath;   orbits  and  front 
hoary ;  wings  somewhat  rounded ;  1st  quill  shorter  than  the  6th 


568 


\ 


APPENDIX. 


and  the  2d  shorter  than  the  4th  ;  the  bill  short  and  broad,  with 
the  under  mandible  pale.     A  small  species. 

Nothing  characteristic  is  known  concerning  the  habits 
of  this  bird,  which  according  to  Richardson,  was  seen  near 
Carleton  House,  in  the  fur  countries,  the  19th  of  May,  flit- 
ting about  for  a  few  days  among  low  bushes  on  the  banks 
of  the  Saskatchewan,  after  which  it  retired  to  the  shady 
woods  farther  to  the  north.  Without  attending  to  the 
marks  here  given  in  the  specific  character  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  distinguish  this  bird  from  the  Muscicapa  acadica, 
(M.  querula,  of  Wilson).  In  M,  querula,  however,  the  wings 
are  invariably  longer,  being  3  inches,  but  in  pusilla  only 
/J^  of  an  inch  long,  and  the  primaries  but  ^%-  longer  than 
the  secondaries,  while  in  acadica  they  are  an  inch  longer. 
According  to  Swainson,  this  new  species  is  also  a  native  of 
the  shores  of  Mexico.       =  ''^M  «fe  :»  .-   *  -.«ti*,    «-.«/*  .M^u 

Note.  We  are  acquainted  with  a  third  small  species  allied  to  the 
{^resent  and  acadica,  but  distinguishable  by  the  superior  brightness  of 
its  plumage ;  being  olive-green  above  and  on  the  flanks.  Rump,  and 
beneath  the  wings  almost  sulphur-yellow,  with  a  brightish  bar  also 
on  the  wings.  This  species  does  not  appear  to  migrate  much  to  the 
north  of  New  York  State.         '  ....,..,. 


.  i-.i 


rli'^iJ.Diifs" 


.i/l 


> 


/i:>  .    :!   r-    SHORT-LEGGED  PEWIT.  n^ 

(Muscicapa  Richardsonii,  Nobis.  Tyrannula  Richardsonii,  Swain- 
son, North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  146.  pi  46.  [lower  figure].) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Olive-brown ;  beneath  pale  ;  head  with  a  thick 
incumbent  crest;  bill  black;  the  2d  and  5th  quills  equal,  the 
8d  and  4th  equal  and  longest ;  tail  slightly  forked ;  tarsus  very 
short.  ,  r.        . 

This  species,  so  nearly  allied  to  the  Pewit  (M.  fusca, 
Bonap.^  was  found  in  the  neighborhood  of  Cumberland 
House  in  the  fur  countries,  frequenting  moist  shady  woods 


EOBIN.?*' 


569 


by  the  banks  of  rivers  and  lakes.  According  to  the  sugges- 
tion of  Dr.  Richardson,  its  discoverer,  it  probably  extends 
its  summer  range  to  the  shores  of  Great  Slave  Lake. 

Length  6  inches  8  lines ;  the  tail  2  inches  9  lines :  the  folded 
wings  3  inches  3  lines ;  the  bill  from  above,  ^  an  inch ;  tarsus  7^ 
lines.  Above  hair-brown,  very  slightly  tinged  with  olive-green, 
much  darker  on  the  head  than  elsewhere.  Wings  and  tail  liver- 
brown  ;  the  margins  of  the  secondaries  and  their  coverts,  and  the 
outer  edges  of  the  exterior  tail  feathers,  paler,  as  if  worn.  Below 
pale,  between  oil-green  and  wax-yellow,  the  under  tail  coverts  ap- 
proaching to  ochre-yellow.  Bill  blackish-brown.  Legs  black.  Tail 
an  inch  longer  than  the  folded  wings.  The  legs  and  feet  much  more 
slender  than  in  the  Pe  wit.  The  secondaries  and  tertiaries  are  also 
without  the  broad  and  distinct  paler  edgings  of  the  Pewit.  ^; 


American  dipper. 


--<r*; . 


(Cinelus  americanus,  Swains.  Synops.  p.  367.  No.  27.  Richard,  and 
Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  173.  C.  Pallasii,  Bonap.  Am.  Orn. 
iii.  pi.  16.  fig.  1.     NcTTALL,  Man  Orn.  i.  p.  358.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Cinereous-grey ;  head  and  neck  blackish-brown.— 
Young,  blackish-grey  inclining  to  ash  ;  throat  and  breast  tinged 
with  clove-brown,  quills  and  tail  of  the  latter  color,  the  seconda- 
ries slightly  tipped  with  white ;  the  bill  horn-color ;  feet  flesh- 
color.  —  In  the  adult  the  bill  is  black. 

Obs.   a  fourth  species  of  this  interesting  genus  is  known  to  inhabit 

India. 


THE  ROBIN.  (Turdus  migratorius).  r  '^ 

This  bird,  according  to  Richardson,  inhabits  every  part 
of  the  fur  countries.  Nests  of  the  Robin  are  found  as  high 
as  the  67th  parallel ;  and  from  the  reports  of  travellers  it  is 
known  to  visit  the  north-west  coast  of  America.  It  arrives  in 
the  Missouri  (inlat.  41^°),  from  the  eastward,  on  the  11th  of 
April ;  and  in  the  course  of  its  northerly  movement,  visits  Sev- 
ern River  in  Hudson's  Bay  about  a  fortnight  later.     On  the 

48* 


670 


APPENDIX. 


\ 


7th  of  May,  in  1827,  it  was  seen  at  Fort  Chepewyan  in  lati- 
tude 58^o,  and  in  the  distant  parallel  of  65°,  at  Fort  Franklin 
on  the  20th  of  that  month.  In  the  54th  degree,  they  begin 
to  hatch  by  the  end  of  May ;  but  1 1  degrees  farther  to 
the  north,  they  do  not  commence  incubation  until  the  11th 
of  June.  The  snow  even  then  partially  covers  the  ground ; 
but  there  are,  in  those  latitudes,  abundance  of  the  berries 
of  the  Alpine  Arbutus,  Crow-Berry,  (Empetrum  nigrum,) 
Whortle-Berry  and  Cow-Berry  (  Vaccinium  uliginosum,  and 
V.  Vitis  idaa),  besides  those  of  some  other  plants,  which, 
after  having  been  frozen  up  all  the  winter,  are  exposed,  on 
the  melting  of  the  snow,  again  to  view,  full  of  juice,  and  retain- 
ing their  original  flavor.  Dr.  Richardson  remarks,  that  the 
notes  of  the  Robin  "  resemble  those  of  the  common  Thrush, 
(Turdus  musicus)  hut  are  not  so  loud.  Within  the  Arctic 
circle  the  woods  are  silent  in  the  bright  light  of  noon-day, 
but  towards  midnight,  when  the  sun  travels  near  the  horizon 
and  the  shades  of  the  forest  are  lengthened,  the  concert 
commences,  and  continues  till  six  or  seven  in  the  morning. 
Even  in  those  remote  regions,  the  mistake  of  those  natural- 
ists who  have  asserted  that  the  feathered  tribes  of  America 
are  void  of  harmony  might  be  fully  disproved.  Indeed, 
the  transition  is  so  sudden  from  the  perfect  repose,  the 
death-like  silence  of  an  arctic  winter,  to  the  animated  bustle 
of  summer ;  the  trees  spread  their  foliage  with  such  magic 
rapidity,  and  every  succeeding  morning  opens  with  such 
agreeable  accessions  of  feathered  songsters  to  swell  the 
chorus  —  their  plumage  as  gay  and  unimpaired  as  when 
they  enlivened  the  deep-green  forests  of  tropical  climes,  that 
the  return  of  a  northern  spring  excites  in  the  mind  a  deep 
feeling  of  the  beauties  of  the  season,  a  sense  of  the  bounty 
and  Providence  of  the  Supreme  Being,  which  is  cheaply 
purchased  by  the  tedium  of  nine  months  winter.  The  most 
verdant  lawns  and  cultivated  glades  of  Europe,  the  most 


Wilson's  thrush. 


671 


beautiful  productions  of  art,  fail  in  producing  that  exhilera- 
tion  and  joyous  buoyancy  of  mind  which  we  have  experi- 
enced in  treading  the  wilds  of  Arctic  America,  when  their 
snowy  covering  has  just  been  replaced  by  an  infant  but 
vigorous  vegetation."     Richards.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  177. 


t'ji-' 


WILSON'S  THRUSH. 


(TStrdus  Wtlsonii,  Bonap.  Nutt.  Man.  Orn.  i.  p.  849.  &c.  Merula 
minor  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  179.  pi.  86.  [very  accurate].) 

It  appears  from  Dr.  Richardson,  that  this  Thrush,  so 
common  in  New  England,  likewise  extends  its  vernal  migra- 
tions into  the  distant  fur  countries,  making  its  appearance 
on  the  banks  of  the  Saskatchewan  in  the  month  of  May. 
That  this  is  the  species  intended  by  the  Prince  of  Musig- 
nano  for  his  T.  Wilsonii,  appears  to  us  unquestionable,  and 
that  it  is  also  the  long  lost  and  dispute  J  T.  minor,  appears 
equally  certain.  But,  as  Mr.  Swainson  himself  justly  ac- 
knowledges the  necessity  of  some  fixed  nomenclature,  es- 
tablished either  by  good  figures  or  passable  and  intelligible 
descriptions,  we  retain  for  the  present  species,  the  name 
imposed  on  it  by  Bonaparte,  adding  at  the  same  time,  the 
additional  distinctive  phrase  of  Mr.  S. ;  —  that  the  2d,  3d,  and 
4th  quills  are  longest,  and  the  2d,  shorter  than  the  4th  ;  also 
the  bill  from  the  angle  of  the  mouth  is  11  lines. 

We  cannot  call  to  mind  any  thing  which  suits  the  charac- 
ter of  Swainson's  Merula  Wilsonii,  ("  obscure  oZiwc-brown ; 
beneath  whitish ;  throat  and  breast  marked  with  dusky 
spots ;  "  —  and  "  the  2d  quill  equal  to  the  4th")  except  an 
early  spring  visiter  in  dark  woods,  with  a  very  shy  and  re- 
tiring habit  like  that  of  the  Hermit  Thrush,  and  of  which 
we  have  no  specimen. 


672  •       APPENDIX.  "  ' 

THRUSH    MOCK-BIRD.     -^    n    r     itoij 


(Tardus  (Okpheus)  meruloides,  Nobis.  Orpheus  meruloides,  Swain- 
SON,  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  187.  pi.  38.  Spotted  Thrush,  Lath. 
Synops.  iii.  p.  27.  sp.  13.  Varied  Thrush,  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p. 
327.  pi.  15.  T.  TUBvius,  Lath.  Ind.  i.  p.  831.  sp.  13.  ?) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Blackish-grey,  beneath  principally  reddish-orange  ; 
an  imperfect  black  belt  extending  on  the  breast ;  two  orange  banda 
on  the  wings,  with  the  quills  exteriorly  blotched  with  the  same. 

This  elegant  and  rather  brilliant  species  was  discovered 
at  Nootka  Sound,  in  Captain  Cook's  third  voyage,  and  both 
sexes  are  described  by  Latham.  Pennant  has  described 
and  figured  the  same  male  individual.  It  was  found  by  the 
Arctic  Expedition  at  Fort  Franklin  in  lat.  65^<^,  in  the 
spring  of  1826.  It  was  said  to  build  its  nest  in  a  bush,  sim- 
ilar to  that  of  the  American  Robin. 

Length  9  inches  9  lines ;  the  tail  3  inches  6  lines  ;  the  bill  above, 
10  lines,  from  the  rictus  1  inch  1^  lines ;  tarsus  1  inch  3  lines.  — ^' 
Above  blackish-grey ;  the  head,  sides  of  the  neck,  and  rudimental 
pectoral  belt,  pitch-black.  The  blackish  ear-feathers  surrounded  by 
a  narrow  stripe  of  reddish-orange  which  extends  to  the  eye-brows. 
Tail  greyish-black,  a  large  white  spot  on  the  tip  of  the  inner  web  of 
the  outer  feather,  and  brownish-white  spots  on  the  tips  of  all  the 
other  feathers,  diminishing  in  size  to  the  central  ones  on  which 
there  is  merely  a  minute  brownish  spec  on  their  tips.  Quills,  greater 
coverts,  and  the  adjoining  row  of  lesser  ones,  liver-brown.  Two 
rather  broad  bands  of  pale  reddish-orange  cross  the  wings.  A  large 
patch  of  the  same  color  on  the  primaries  near  their  coverts,  and  a 
smaller  one  about  half  way  to  their  tips.  Tertiaries  slightly  tipped 
with  white.  —  Chin,  throat  and  belly  reddish-orange.  Vent  white. 
Under  tail  coverts  blackish-grey,  edged  with  orange,  and  largely  tipt 
with  white.  Flanks  and  axillary  feathers  bluish-grey.  Bill  black, 
pale  yellow  at  the  base  of  the  under  mandible.  Legs  flesh-colored. 
Bill  straight,  compressed,  more  slender  than  in  the  Robin,  but  other- 
wise resembling  it.  Wings  Ij^  inches  shorter  than  the  end  of  the 
tail,  4th  quill  longest ;  the  3d  and  5th  nearly  equal  it.  Tail  slightly 
rounded.    Tarsus  much  longer  than  the  middle  toe. 


ARCTIC    BLUE-BIRD. 


if 


^ns 


CAT-BIRD.  ( Turdus  felivox,    Bonap.   Orpheus    felivox, 

SWAINSON.) 

This  familiar  bird  extends  its  summer  residence  in  the  fur  coun- 
tries to  the  54th  parallel  of  latitude  ;  and  though  flocks  proceed  in 
tlie  winter  as  far  south  as  the  Galph  of  Mexico,  yet  many  winter 
also  in  the  sheltered  swamps  of  North  and  South  Carolina,  where  I 
have  seen  them  abundant  in  January.  It  does  not  arrive  on  the 
banks  of  the  Saskatchewan  before  the  close  of  May.  -■]  f 


\:  ARCTIC  BLUE-BIRD.  ■    : 

(Sialia  arctica,  Miosis.  Erythaca  arctica,  Swainson,  North.  Zool.  ii. 

p.  209.  pi.  39.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Ultramarine-blue;     beneath    greenish-blue,     and 
whitish  on  the  lower  part  of  the  belly  and  under  tail  coverts. 

Op  this  very  beautiful  and  distinct  species,  only  a  single 
specimen  was  procured  by  the  Arctic  Expedition,  and  this 
was  shot  at  Fort  Franklin,  near  Great  Bear  Lake  in  latitude 
64^°,  July,  1825.  It  appeared  to  be  a  mere  summer  strag- 
gler, and  nothing  was  learnt  respecting  its  habits.  It  is  in 
all  probability  a  Mexican  bird. 

Length  7  inches  9  lines ;  tail  3  inches  9  lines ;  the  bill  from  the 
rictus  8  lines,  from  above,  6  lines :  tarsus  10  lines ;  middle  tnc  7i|.  — 
Above  ultramarine-blue  :  the  webs  of  the  tertiaries,  and  the  tips  and 
inner  margins  of  the  quill  and  toil  feathers  dull  umber-brown.  The 
base  of  the  plumage  blackish-grey.  —  Cheeks,  throat,  breast,  and 
insides  of  the  wings  greenish-bine,  fading  on  the  abdomen  to  grey- 
ish-white. Vent  and  under  tail  coverts  white.  Tail  beneath,  and 
insides  of  the  quill  feathers  clove-brown,  with  a  strong  tinge  of  blue. 
Bill  and  feet  pitch-black.  —  Bill  narrower  at  base  than  in  the  common 
Blue-Bird,  also  longer,  straighter,  more  faintly  notched  and  less  bent 
at  the  tip  of  the  upper  mandible :  its  breadth  is  equal  to  its  depth. 
Wings  }  of  an  inch  shorter  than  the  tail,  3d  quill  longest ;  the  let 
and  3d  equal.  Tail  deeply  emarginated,  the  central  feathers  being 
more  than  half  an  inch  shorter  than  the  exterior  ones.  '       '    ' 


,*»i«-i(«    «L^*«iM»  »K*«*t*'*'"'^»it 


674 


APPENDIX. 


I  \ 


<>,.,- i'h\> 


YELLOW-RUMP  WARBLER. 


(Sylvia  maculosa,   Bonap.    Sylvieola  maculosa,   Swainsor,  North. 
Zool.  ii.  p.  213.  pi.  40.) 

Although  rare  in  the  United  States,  it  appears,  accor- 
ding to  Richardson,  that  this  elegant  species  is  a  common 
bird  on  the  banks  of  the  Saskatchewan ;  where  it  is  as 
familiar  as  the  common  Summer  Yellow  Bird  (S.  cBstiva)^ 
which  it  also  resembles  closely  in  its  manners,  and  in  its 
breeding  station,  but  is  gifted  with  a  more  varied  and  agree- 
able song.  It  frequents  the  thickets  of  young  spruce  trees 
and  willows,  flitting  from  branch  to  branch,  at  no  great  dis- 
tance from  the  ground,  actively  engaged  in  the  capture  of 
winged  insects  which  now  constitute  its  principal  fare.  , 

In  mature  specimens  the  anterior  part  of  the  back  is  pitch-black, 
with  the  centres  of  the  posterior  feathers  also  the  same. 


ROSCOE'S  WARBLER. 

(Sylvia  RoscOe,  Audubon,  Ornith.  Biogr.  i.  p.  124.  pi.  24.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Very  dark  olive ;  below  yellow ;  a  white  streak 
near  and  over  the  eye  ;  a  broad  black  patch  from  the  corner  of  the 
eye  passing  over  the  ears ',  tarsus  short. 

This  species  was  first  discovered  by  Mr.  Audubon  in  the 
State  of  Mississippi  and  not  far  from  the  river  of  the  same 
name.  It  was  pursuing  its  prey  of  winged  insects  in  the 
upper  branches  of  a  tall  Cypress,  and  uttered  at  short  inter- 
vals a  single  twitt.  It  has  a  strong  general  resemblance  to 
the  Maryland  Yellow-Throat,  {Sylvia  Trichas),  but  is  suffi- 
ciently distinct.  It  is  occasionally  seen  in  the  New  Eng- 
land States,  and  particularly  in  this  vicinity,  (Cambridge,) 
in  the  same  dark  or  low  bushy  thickets  and  swamps  with 


rathbone's  warbler. 


675 


the  Common  Yellow-Throat,  and  probably  breeds  in  this 
quarter,  though  it  is  most  commonly  seen  towards  the  close 
of  summer  only.  Its  note,  which  I  have  heard,  resembles 
in  a  measure  that  of  its  prototype  Trichas,  but  it  is  much 
more  varied  and  agreeably  warbling.  Its  autumnal  twitt 
also  is  louder,  deeper,  and  easily  distinguishable  from  that 
closely  allied  species. 

The  length  of  Roscoe's  Yellow-Throat  is  about  5  and  l-8th  inches ; 
extent  of  the  wings  6|  inches ;  the  bill  above  five  twelfths  of  an 
inch ;  tarsus  one  third  of  an  inch.  Very  dark  olive,  the  margins  of 
the  feathers  lighter ;  rump  paler.  Inner  webs  of  the  quills  dark 
brown.  Bill  dark  flesh-color,  brown  at  the  tip.  Feet  flesh  color. 
Irids  pale  brown. 


RATHBONE'S  WARBLER. 

{Sylvia  Rathbonia,  Avduboit,  Orn.  Biog.  i.  p.  333.  pi.  G5.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Pale  golden  yellow;  the  back  olive;  wings  and 
tail  dark  yellowish-brown  edged  with  yellow;  feet  flesh-color. — 
The  sexes  nearly  alike  in  plumage. 

This  elegant  new  species  was  discovered  by  Audubon  in 
the  alluvial  forests  of  the  Mississippi,  where  he  met  with  a 
single  pair,  actively  employed  in  the  capture  of  winged 
insects,  as  they  sported  amidst  the  glowing  blossoms  of  the 
splendid  Trumpet-Flower,  {Bignonia  radicans.)  The  nest 
and  habits  of  the  species,  probably  a  southern  one,  yet  re- 
main unknown.  . 

The  Rathbone  Warbler  is  about  4j^  inches  in  length ;  the  bill  from 
above,  4  lines  long ;  tarsus  7  lines ;  the  middle  toe  f^  an  inch.  Gen- 
eral color  bright  yellow,  the  upper  parts  olivaceous.  Quills  and  tail 
dusky-brown,  the  former  yellow  on  the  outer  webs,  the  latter  mar- 
gined externally  with  the  same  color.  Bill  yellowish-brown  above, 
beneath  yellow.  Feet  flesh-color.  Irids  hazel.  The  2d  quill 
longest 


676 

APPENDIX,    t 

V  J  y 

tttU  t'i    *• 

»         '  - 

- 

/  \ 

■-T---    ' 

'">  ».{» 


BLACK-CAP  TITMOUSE. 


(Pants  airicapilluB,  LiNir.  i.  p.  341.  sp.  6.  BRi!3fto(f,  Orn.  iii.  p.  558. 
pi.  29.  fig.  1.  Swains,  and  Richard.  North.  Zuol.  ii.  p.  296. 
BoNAP.  Synops.  p.  100.  No.  157.  Parus  paltutris,  Nutt.  Man. 
Orn.  i.  p.  241.)  ,,    ,         ,  >    • .  *    n-it 


>« 


•-'i 


Following  the  authority  of  Temminck  and  Montagu,  I 
considered  this  bird  the  same  as  the  European  Marsh  Tit- 
mouse.  I  have  since  seen  the  bird  of  Europe  in  its  native 
country,  and  have  good  reason  to  believe  it  wholly  different 
from  our  lively  and  familiar  Chicadee.  Unlike  our  bird,  it 
is  rather  shy,  seldom  seen  but  in  pairs  or  solitary,  never 
in  domestic  premises,  usually  and  almost  constantly  near 
streams  or  water  courses,  on  the  willows,  alders,  or  other 
small  trees  impending  over  streams,  and  utters  now  and 
then  a  feeble  complaining  or  querulous  call,  and  rarely  if 
ever  the  *  chicTca  dec-dee.^  It  also  makes  a  noise  in  the 
spring,  as  it  is  said,  like  the  whetting  of  a  saw,  which  ours 
never  does.  The  Chickadee  is  seldom  seen  near  waters ; 
often,  even  in  summer,  in  dry  shady  and  secluded  woods ; 
but  when  the  weather  becomes  cold,  and  as  early  as  Octo- 
ber, roving  families  pressed  by  necessity  and  the  failure  of 
their  ordinary  insect  fare,  now  begin  to  frequent  orchards 
and  gardens,  appearing  extremely  familiar,  hungry,  indigent 
but  industrious,  prying  with  restless  anxiety  into  every  cran- 
ny of  the  bark  or  holes  in  decayed  trees  after  dormant 
insects,  spiders  and  larvae,  descending  with  the  strictest 
economy  to  the  ground  in  quest  of  every  stray  morsel  of 
provision  which  happens  to  fall  from  their  grasp.  Their 
quaint  notes  and  jingling  warble  are  heard  even  in  winter 
on  fine  days  when  the  weather  relaxes  in  its  severity  ;  and 
in  short,  instead  of  being  the  river  hermit  of  its  European 
analogue  :  it  adds  by  its  presence,  indomitable  action,  and 
chatter,  an  air  of  cheerfulness  to  the  silent  and  dreary  win- 


IIUDSONIAN   TITMOUSE. 


677 


ters  of  the  coldest  parts  of  America.  Dr.  Richardson  found 
it  in  the  fur  countries  up  to  the  65th  parallel,  where  it  even 
contrives  to  dwell,  as  in  other  parts  of  the  continent,  through- 
out the  whole  year.  In  the  history  of  its  incubation,  I  re- 
marked, observing  a  brood  of  7  young  birds  in  the  hollow 
of  a  decayed  tree,  resting  merely  on  the  fragments  of  rot- 
ten wood,  without  the  presence  of  a  nest.  I  have  since, 
seen  a  very  soil  nest  made  by  the  Chickadee,  of  moss,  hair, 
feathers,  &c.  not  much  unlike  that  of  P.  palustris.  The 
brood  I  met  with,  therefore,  had  only  taken  up  their  tenijK)- 
rary  abode  in  the  deserted  hole  of  a  small  Woodpecker,  a 
habit  of  roosting,  hiding  and  sheltering  common  both  to  old 
and  young,  when  occasion  requires. 

Besides  other  differences,  the  European  bird  is  one  inch 
shorter  than  ours :  the  bill  does  not  appear  to  be  perfectly 
black ;  the  black  not  extending  so  far  below  the  chin ;  and 
the  back  not  so  distinctly  bluish-ash. 


HUDSONIAN  TITMOUSE.  * 

(Parus  Hudsonicus,  Forster,  Phil.  Transact.  Ixii.  p.  408,  —  430. 
Lath.  Ind.  ii.  p.  557.  Audubos,  ic.  incd.  Peche-kekes/tlsh  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Indians.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  With  the  head  and  nape  greyish  rusty  brown  ;  the 
back  brownish  ash  color;  below  greyish- white ;  a  white  line  be- 
neath each  eye. 

This  more  than  usually  hardy  species  continues  the  whole 
year  about  Severn  river,  braving  the  inclemency  of  the  win- 
ters, and  frequents  the  juniper  bushes,  on  the  buds  of  which 
it  feeds.  In  winter,  like  the  common  species,  they  are  seen 
roving  about  in  small  flocks,  busily  foraging  from  tree  to 
tree.  It  is  said  to  lay  5  eggs.  Mr.  Audubon  met  with  it 
on  the  coast  of  Labrador. 
49 


678 


APPENDIX. 


Length  5  and  1-8  inches :  alar  extent  7.  The  head  ruaty-brown. 
Throat  black.  Feathera  of  the  back  brown,  tipped  with  olive.  Plu- 
mage of  the  breast  and  belly  blnck,  tipped  with  white.  Sides  under 
the  wings  tinted  with  ferruginous.  Wings  dusky  ;  edges  of  the  pri- 
maries cinereous.  Tail  brown,  edged  with  the  same  as  the  quills. 
Legs  black.     The  sexes  nearly  alike  in  plumuge. 


BARTRAM'S  GREENLET.  ' 

(Vireo  Bartramii,  SwaInson.  North.  Zool.  ii.  'p.  235.) 
Sp.  Charact.  —  With  the  plumage  of  V.  olivaceus,  but  brighter  j 
wings  shorter,  more  rounded  ;  the  lat  and  Gth  quills  nearly  equal, 
the  3d  and  4th  longest. 

A  specimen  of  this  bird  was  procured  by  Mr.  Douglass, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Columbia.  According  to  Swainson  it 
also  exists  in  Brazil  and  South  Carolina.  In  V.  olivaceus 
the  1st  quill  is  longer  than  the  5th  :  in  the  present  the  1st  is 
shorter  than  the  5th.  V.  Bartramii  is  a  very  little  shorter 
than  olivaceus.  The  latter  being  5^  inches  in  length,  the 
Bartramii  5  inches  and  f^hs ;  bills  of  both,  the  same  length. 
The  wing  in  olivaceus  3  incites  ■} ;  in  the  present  2  inches 
^ths  :  the  tarsus  the  same  in  both.  The  specific  character 
therefore  seems  to  rest  on  the  comparative  length  of  the 
quills  :  any  difference  in  habits  are  yet  unknown. 


LONG-BILLED  GREENLET. 

(Vireo  longirostris,   Swainson,  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  237.  [in  note.] 
Edwards,  p.  93.  pi.  253.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Plumage  of  V.  olivaceus;  the  chin  margined  with 
a  black  line ;  bill  lengthened  ;  wings  short,  when  folded,  not  reach- 
ing to  half  the  length  of  the  tail :  the  1st  quill  shorter  than  the  4th. 

This  species,  entirely  tropical,  is  found  to  be  the  true  West  India 
bird,  known  from  its  note  by  the  name  of  Whip-Tom-Kelly.    The 


ates 


EUROPEAN    WAXBN«CBATTERER. 


670 


V.  ditaeeu*  hai  never  yet  be«n  found  in  thow  iilands.  Accord- 
ing to  Dr.  Browne,  who  furninhccl  Edwardn  with  a  apecimon,  from 
Jamaica,  which  lie  has  published,  >  il  haa  not  maujr  notca,  but  they 
are  loud  and  sweet." 

The  iizc  an«l  jfcneral  pluuiago  in  niiiiilar,  according  to  Pwoinaon, 
with  thut  of  a  new  specieH  which  ho  tennB  I'ireo  eireacens  as  well  ai 
V.  olivttccus,  excepting  that  the  colors  are  eoinewhat  duller  than 
those  of  the  last :  but  it  is  cHsentially  distinguished  by  a  narrow  line 
of  dusky-black,  which  margins  each  side  of  the  chin  :  — Total  length 
6j|  inches  ;  ihe  bill  fron»  the  front  six  tenths  of  an  inch ;  the  wings 
2  inches  and  seven  tenths :  the  tarsus  seven  tenths  of  an  inch.  — 

Obs.  We  have  given  this  species  a  place  in  a  note  thus  to  complete 
the  history  of  our  own  familiar  rireo,  and  with  a  suspicion  that  it 
occasionally  also  strays  into  the  forests  of  the  Soutlicrn  States. 


EUROPEAN  WAXEN-CHATTERER. 


(Bombycilla  garrula,  Bonap.  Am.  Orn.  pi.  IG.  fig.  2. 
Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  237.) 


Richard,  and 


Dr.  Richardson  informs  us,  that  this  bird  appears  in 
flocks  at  Great  Bear  Lake,  about  the  24th  of  May,  when  they 
feed  on  the  berries  of  the  alpine  arbutus,  marsh  vaccini< 
urn,  and  other  kinds  exposed  again  to  the  surface  after 
the  spring  thaw.  Another  flock  of  3  or  400  individuals 
was  seen  on  the  banks  of  the  Saskatchewan,  at  Carlton 
House,  early  in  the  same  month.  In  their  usual  manner, 
they  all  settled  together  on  one  or  two  trees,  and  remained 
together  about  the  same  place  for  an  hour  in  the  morning, 
making  a  loud  twittering  noise,  and  were  too  shy  to  be  ap- 
proached within  gunshot.  Their  stay  at  most  did  not  exceed 
a  few  days,  and  none  of  the  Indians  knew  of  their  nests ; 
though  the  Doctor  had  reason  to  believe  that  they  retired 
in  the  breeding  season  to  the  broken  and  desolate  moun- 
tain-limestone districts  in  the  67th  or  68th  parallels,  where 


580 


APPENDIX. 


they  find  means  to  feed  on  the  fruit  of  the  common  juniper, 
so  abundant  in  that  quarter.  Mr.  Audubon  has  observed  a 
few  stragglers  of  this  species  in  the  autumn  in  this  part  of 
Massachusetts. 


CEDAR  BIRD. 

(Bombycilla  Carolinensis,  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  68.     B.  americana,  Rich. 
and  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  239.) 

Of  this  bird,  so  common  in  the  United  States,  Mr.  Drunv 
inond  saw  small  flocks  on  the  south  branch  of  the  Saskat- 
chewan. It  likewise  frequents  the  northern  shores  of  Lakes 
Huron  and  Superior  in  the  summer. 

The  scarlet  wax-like  appendages  on  the  secondaries,  as 
I  have  elsewhere  remarked,  are  sometimes  conspicuous  the 
moment  the  young  bird  is  fledged.  At  other  times  whole 
flocks  of  young  birds  may  be  seen  without  any  vestige  of 
these  accidental  ornaments,  and  more  particularly  in  those 
which  are  hatched  late  in  the  season.  In  th?se  birds  also  there 
is  less  black  about  the  face,  and  the  whole  color  is  more  ob- 
scure, grey  and  plumbeous  ;  whether  these  alter  after  moult- 
ing, or  blending  among  others  form  the  plain  individuals, 
almost  always  met  with  in  every  flock,  remains  to  be  ascer- 
tained. 


CALENDRE  LARK. 

(Alauda  calatidra,  Linn.  Syst.  p.  288.  Lath.  iii.  p.  382.  Rich,  and 
Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  244.  Calandra  Lark,  Penn.  Arct. 
Zool.  ii.  No.  280.  The  Calandra,  Edwards,  Glean,  pi.  266.  La 
Calandra,  ou  Grossc  Alouette,  Buff.  v.  p.  49.  Id.  PI.  Enlum.  363.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Dark  reddish-brown;  a  black  line  from  the  bill 
passing  beyond  the  eye,  and  a  narrow  crescent  of  the  same  across 
the  breast ;  belly,  vent,  and  throat  white. 


A. 


iSSS^ssaaESSERnannaisK 


n 


CALENDRE    LARK. 


681 


Edwards,  on  the  authority  of  a  dealer  in  birds,  was  the 
first  who  described  this  bird  as  American ;  but  no  subse- 
quent author  mentions  having  seen  specimens  from  this  con- 
tinent. There  is,  however,  an  individual  from  the  fur  coun- 
tries in  the  British  Museum,  presented  by  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  which,  according  to  Richardson,  differs  from  an 
European  example  solely  in  having  the  bill  and  tarsus  rather 
shorter.  This  species  is  common  in  the  southern  parts  of 
Europe.  In  Asia  it  is  seen  around  Aleppo,  and  is  frequent 
in  the  Tartarian  deserts  which  border  the  Don  and  the 
Volga. 

In  this  specimen  from  Hudson's  Bay,  the  upper  plumage  is  liver- 
brown,  with  pale  margins.  The  throat,  belly,  inner  borders  of  the 
tertiaries,  exterior  tail  feathers,  and  the  ends  of  the  adjoining  pair, 
white ;  the  other  tail  feathers,  except  the  middle  pair,  slightly  tipped 
with  the  same.  Flanks  and  breast  pale  brown,  the  latter  spotted 
with  umber.  A  dark  brown  collar  on  the  anterior  base  of  the  neck, 
and  two  umber-brown  marks  on  the  sides  of  the  same,  separated  by 
white.  Bill  greyish,  tipped  with  brown ;  strong,  somewhat  com- 
pressed, and  very  slightly  curved.  The  hind  claw  is  long  and  straight. 
—  Length  7i|  inches ;  the  tail  3  inches  ;.the  bill  above,  9  lines ;  tarsus 
1  inch  2  lines. 


49* 


HORNED,  OR  SHORE  LARK. 

(Mauda  eornuta,  Wilson.  Rich,  and  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p. 
245.  ^.  alpestris,  Lath.  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  158.  Nutt.  Man. 
Orn.  i.  p.  455.) 

This  handsome  Lark  arrives  in  the  fur  countries  along 
with  the  Lapland  Bunting,  with  which  it  associates,  and 
being  more  shy,  acts  the  sentinel  usually  to  the  whole  com- 
pany in  advertising  them  of  the  approach  of  danger.  It 
soon  after  retires  to  the  marshy  and  woody  districts  to  breed, 
extending  its  summer  range  to  the  Arctic  Sea.  According 
to  Hutchins  it  nests  on  the  ground,  and  lays  4  or  5  white 
eggs,  spotted  with  black.  Mr.  Audubon  also  found  this 
species  breeding  on  the  low,  mossy  and  sheltered  hills  along 
the  dreary  coast  of  Labrador ;  making  a  nest  of  withered 
grass,  &c.  sunk  a  little  below  the  surface.  The  male,  he 
adds,  like  the  Common  Lark,  soars  into  the  air,  sings  with 
cheerfulness  over  the  resort  of  his  mate,  and  roosts  beside 
her  and  his  nest  on  the  ground,  having  at  this  season  a  very 
remarkable  appearance  in  the  developement  of  the  black 
and  horn-like  egrets.  The  whole  group  are  spiritedly 
drawn  by  Audubon  in  his  most  happy  and  animated  style. 


1 


?  / 


SNOW    BUNTING. 


593 


SNOW-BUNTING. 

( Ember iza nivalis,  Wilson.  E.  (Plectrophanes)  nivalis,  Meyeb..  Rich. 
and  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  24G.) 

Tins  harbinger  of  winter  breeds  in  the  northernmost  of 
the  American  islands,  and  on  all  the  shores  of -the  continent 
from  Chesterfield  Inlet  to   Behring's  Straits.     The  most 
southerly  of  its  breeding  stations  in  America,  according  to 
Richardson,   is   Southampton  Island  in  the   62d  parallel, 
where  Capt.  Lyons  found  a  nest,  by  a  strange  fatality,  placed 
in  the  bosom  of  the  exposed  corpse  of  an  Esquimaux  child. 
It  is  composed  of  dry  grass,  and  usually  lined  with  deer's  hair, 
and  a  few  feathers,  and  is  commonly  fixed  in  the  crevice 
of  a  rock,  or  in  the  accidental  and  rude  shelter  of  loose 
stones  or  fallen  timber.     The  eggs  are  greenish-white,  with  . 
a  circle  of  irregular  umber-brown  spots  round  the  larger 
end,  and  bl»  nded  with  numerous  blotches  of  pale  lavender- 
purple.     Well-clothed,  and  hardy  by  nature,  the  Snow-Bun- 
ting even  lingers  about  the  forts  of  the  fur  countries  and 
open  places,  picking  up  grass  seeds,  until  the  snow  becomes 
deep;    it    is   only  during   the    months  of   December    and 
January  that  it  retires  to  the  southward  of  the  Saskatche- 
wan ;  and  it  is  seen  again  there  on  its  return  as  early  as  the 
middle  of  February ;  two  months  after  which  it  arrives  in 
the  65th  parallel,  and  by  the  beginning  of  May  it  has  pen- 
etrated to  the  coast  of  the  Polar  sea.     At  this  period  it  feeds 
upon  the  buds  of  the  Purple  Saxifrage  ( Saxifraga  oppositi- 
folia,)  one  of  the  most  early  of  the  arctic  plants. 

As  the  Snow-Bunting  sometimes  begins  to  visit  the  United 
States  in  October,  it  appears  pretty  certain  that  some  of 
these  birds  breed,  almost,  if  not  quite  within  the  northern 
limits  of  the  Union.  And  as  stated  elsewhere,  a  nest  has 
been  found  near  the  rocky  summit  of  the  White  Mountains 
of  New  Hampshire. 


5S4  APPENDIX. 


PAINTED  BUNTING. 

(Emberiza  (Plectrophanes)  picta,  Swainson,  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  250. 

pi.  49.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  W.'th  the  head  black  ;  a  line  passing  over  the  eye, 
a  small  spot  on  the  nape,  another  on  the  ears,  and  a  large  patch  on 
the  wing,  white  ;  collar  and  the  whole  under  plumage  buff-yellow. 

This  beautifully  marked  species  was  observed  associating 
with  the  Lapland  Buntings  or  Long-Spurs,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Saskatchewan,  in  the  month  of  April,  but  no  informa- 
tion was  obtained  respecting  its  breeding  quarters. 

Length  6  inches  3  lines ;  tail  2^  inches  ;  the  bill  above,  5|  inches ; 
the  tarsus  10  lines.  Head  and  sides  velvet-black.  Three  strongly 
marked  pure  white  stripes  on  the  sides  of  the  head,  one  bordering 
*  the  chin,  another  on  the  ear,  and  a  third  above  the  eye  ;  a  less  dis- 
tinct spot  on  the  middle  of  the  nape.  Neck  above  wood-brown ;  the 
back,  and  lower  rows  of  wing  coverts  blackish-bxown,  broadly  edged 
with  paler  brown ;  the  intermediate  coverts  pure  white,  and  the  upper 
ones  entirely  black.  Quills  and  tail  brownish-black,  with  narrow 
white  edges :  the  2  outer  pairs  of  tail  feathers  white,  with  their  outer 
tips  and  inner  edges  brown.  Below  of  an  intermediate  color  be- 
tween wood-brown  and  buff-orange.  Inner  wing  coverts  white. 
Bill  blackish-brown,  pale  at  the  base  beneath.  Legs  brown.  Tlie 
tail  exceeds  the  tips  of  the  closed  winga  an  inch. 


CLAY-COLORED  BUNTING. 

(Emberiza  pallida,  Swainson,  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  251.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Clay-colored  brown,  striped  with  blackish ;  beneath 
white,  unspotted ;  the  head  with  \\  pale  and  2  blackish  macular 
Btripes ;  auricnlars  brownish. 

This  species,  even  smaller  than  the  Emberiza  pusilhif 
visits  the  Saskatchewan  in  considerable  numbers.  It  fre- 
quents the  farm-yard  at  Carlton  House,  and  is  as  familiar  and 


TREE-SPARROW    OR    BUNTING. 


585 


confident  as  the  common  House-Sparrow  of  England.  It 
has  much  the  habit  of  JS.  pusilla,  which  differs  however, 
fi'om  the  present  by  its  more  robust  and  cinnamon-colored 
bill,  in  the  chestnut-brown  crown  and  back,  &.c. 

Length  5  inches  9  lines ;  tail  3  inches  8  lines ;  wing  2f^  inches ; 
the  bill  above,  4  lines ;  tarsus  7^  lines.  Light  clay  color,  or  yellow- 
ish brown ;  French  grey  towards  the  nape ;  in  the  middle  of  each 
feather  a  dark  blackish-brown  stripe  down  the  middle,  not  conspic- 
uous on  the  back  feathers ;  these  spots  are  crowded  into  two  stripes 
on  the  head,  between  which  is  a  paler  line  ;  over  each  eye  is  another, 
much  more  conspicuous,  and  whiter.  Auricular  feathers  yellowish- 
brown,  with  darker  edgings,  and  bordered  below  with  a  stripe  whiter 
than  the  throat.  Lesser  or  smallest  wing  coverts  without  spots ;  the 
row  adjoining  the  greater  coverts  black,  with  whitish  tips  ;  the  rest 
of  the  covers  and  quills  edged  with  the  same.  Below  white,  tinged 
very  slightly  with  grey,  and,  on  the  breast  and  flanks,  with  clay 
color.  Bill  and  legs  yellowish,  the  ridge  and  tip  of  the  former  um- 
ber-brown. In  the  structure  and  proportion  of  its  wings,  feet  an4 
tail,  it  perfectly  resembles  Emheriza  schaniculm, 


TREE-SPARROW  or  BUNTING. 

(Emberiza  canadensis,  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  258.    Fringitta 
canadensis,  Bonap.  Synops.  No.  175.  Nutt.  Man.  Orn.  1.  p.  495.) 

The  Tree-Bunting  arrives,  ip  small  flocks,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Saskatchewan,  in  the  third  week  in  April,  and,  after 
a  short  halt  proceeds  farther  north  to  breed.  Audubon  found 
this  species  breeding  in  Labrador,  at  which  time  it  sings 
with  considerable  energy.  The  nest  built  in  the  forks  of 
a  bush,  is  made  compactly,  almost  like  that  of  the  Yellow 
Bird  or  American  Goldfinch,  and  the  eggs,  except  in  their 
superior  size,  are  similai*  with  those  of  the  Chipping  Spar- 
row. 


586 


APPENDIX. 


REED  BUNTING. 

(Emberiza  schaniculus,  Linn.  Syst.  i.  p.  311.  sp.  17.  Lath.  Ind.  v. 
8p.  13.  Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  i.  p.  307.  E.  arundinacea,  Gmel.  Syst. 
i.  p.  881.  Lath.  Ind.  p.  403.  Ortolan  de  Rosseaux,  Buff.  Ois. 
iv.  p.  315.  Ib.  pi.  Enlum.  247.  fig.  2.  [male.]  and  477.  fig.  2.  [fe- 
male.] Reed  Bunting,  Brit.  Zool.  No.  120.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  368. 
E.  Lewin's  Brit.  Birds,  ii.  t.  75.  Bewick.  Brit.  Birds,  p.  &  t. 
145.  Selby,  Illust.  pi.  52.  fig.  5,  6.  8vo.  p.  242.  —  Emberiza  pas- 
senna,  Lath.  Ind.  Orn.  iii.  sp.  14.  [young].) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Black,  varied  with  rufous  and  grey;  head,  chin^ 
and  throat  black ;  a  white  ring  round  the  head  from  the  base  of 
the  bill ;  tlie  breast  and  belly  white.  —  Female,  with  the  head  ru- 
fous-brown streaked  with  dusky ;  no  white  ring.  ^ 

This  bird,  so  common  in  the  north  of  Europe,  as  I  learn 
from  Mr.  Audubon,  has  been  recently  killed  in  the  vicinity 
of  Harrisburg  in  Pennsylvania.  According  to  Pennant  it  is 
found  as  far  north  as  Denmark,  but  is  rare  in  Sweden.  It 
is  likewise  common  in  the  south  of  Russia  and  Siberia. 

The  Reed  Sparrow  in  the  north  of  England,  where  most 
common,  seems  to  have  a  predilection  for  wet  and  marshy 
tracts  near  streams,  and  frequents  willows  and  low  bushes 
on  which  it  often  perches,  conspicuous  and  familiar,  while 
engaged  in  delivering  its  monotonous  ditty,  which  consists 
merely  of  two  notes,  the  first  three  or  four  times  repeated, 
and  the  last  single  and  more  sharp.  This  very  immble  lay 
is  sometimes  continued  from  the  same  spray,  for  a  consid- 
erable time,  while  the  female  is  engaged  in  the  cares  of  in- 
cubation. Nesting  and  dwelling  often  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
melodious  and  retiring  Sedge-Bird,  it  has  inadvertently  ac- 
quired undeserved  credit  as  a  songster  to  which  it  was  not 
entitled. 

The  nest  is  commonly  placed  on  the  ground  near  water  : 
sometimes  in  a  bush  some  distance  from  the  ground ;  at  othor 
times  in  high  grass,  reeds,  sedge,  or  even  among  the  furze 


Li 


^■^,m/m&^mg^Lgf^mfff 


WHITE-CROWNED   FINCH. 


687 


at  a  considerable  distance  from  any  water.  The  nest  is 
composed  of  stalks  of  grass  or  other  dry  vegetable  substan- 
ces, sometimes  mixed  with  moss  and  lined  with  fine  grass, 
frequently  finished  with  long  hair.  The  eggs  4  or  5,  are  of 
a  dull  bluish-white,  or  purplish-brown,  with  numerous  dark 
colored  spots  and  veins. 

The  length  of  the  Reed  Sparrow  is  about  G  inches.  The  head,  chin, 
throat,  and  sometimes  a  great  portion  of  the  breast,  black.  From  the 
base  of  the  bill  commences  a  white  ring,  which  grows  broader  be- 
hind the  ears,  and  encircles  the  head ;  the  breast  oflen  as  well  as  the 
belly  white.  The  sides  grey,  marked  with  a  few  dark  brown  strokes. 
Back  black,  the  feathers  widely  bordered  with  reddish-brown,  inter- 
spersed with  grey,  which  latter  becomes  more  prevalent  towards  the 
rump.  Quills  and  primary  coverts  dusky,  edged  with  rufous.  Tail 
black,  the  2  middle  feathers  bordered  with  rufous,  the  two  exterior 
on  each  side  marked  obliquely  with  a  variable  proportion  of  white ; 
the  shafls  and  tips  black.  The  female  is  rather  less  ;  with  the  head 
rufous-brown,  streaked  with  dusky  ;  from  each  side  the  under  man- 
dible a  dusky  line  passes  under  the  neck,  where  it  joins  a  bed  of  that 
color.  Behind  the  eye  a  light  colored  stroke,  the  breast  streaked 
with  reddish-brown.  Rump  plain  olive-brown.  There  is  no  white 
ring  round  the  head. 


in- 
the 
ac- 
not 


WHITE-CROWNED  FINCH. 

(Fringilla  leucophrys,  Bonap.  Synops.  -^o.  167.    Rich,  and  Swains. 
North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  255.) 

This  elegant  species  extends  its  summer  visits  to  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  continent ;  breeding  in  all  parts  of  the  fur 
countries,  arriving  in  the  middle  of  May,  and  departing 
early  in  September  to  the  northern  parts  of  the  United  States 
to  pass  the  winter.  It  makes  short  flights  and  keeps  much 
on  the  ground,  feeding  on  grass  seeds  and  larvse.  The 
male  sings,  from  a  low  perch  a  short,  clear,  and  pleasant  song. 


688 


APPENDIX. 


"M 


The  nest  is  built  on  the  ground,  of  grass,  and  lined  with  hair ; 
the  eggs  generally  5,  are  celandine  or  pale  green,  marbled 
thickly  with  pale  brown  or  chocolate-red,  particularly  at  the 
greater  end.  Mr.  Audubon  found  this  species  breeding  on 
the  coast  of  Labrador. 


WHITE-THROATED  FINCH. 

(Fringilla   pennsylvanica,   Bonap.   Synops.   No.   269.     Rich,  and 
Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  256.) 

This  species  arrives  at  the  Saskatchewan  about  the  mid- 
dle of  May,  and  spreads  throughout  the  fur  countries  up  to 
the  66th  parallel  to  breed.  The  nest  is  made  on  the  ground, 
of  withered  grass,  and  lined  with  deer's  hair  and  some  feath- 
ers. Another  nest,  found  by  Dr.  Richardson  at  Great  Bear 
Lake  was  ingeniously  lined  with  the  bristles  of  a  moss 
(Br yum  uliginosum).  The  eggs  are  pale  mountain-green, 
thickly  marbled  with  reddish-brown.  On  being  disturbed 
the  female  crouches  and  runs  off  in  silence  like  a  Lark. 
The  male  has  a  clear  song  of  two  or  three  very  distinct 
notes,  but  without  variety. 


FOX-COLORED  FINCH. 

(Fringilla  iliaca,  Bonap.   Synops.  No.  185.    Rich,   and  Swains. 
North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  257.) 

This  handsome  Finch  breeds  in  the  woody  districts  of 
the  fur  countries  up  to  the  68th  parallel  of  latitude.  The 
nest  is  made  in  a  low  bush,  of  dry  grass,  hair,  and  feathers, 
and  the  eggs  are  5,  of  a  pale  mountain-green  tint,  marbled 
with  irregular  brown  spots.  The  male  perched  near  his 
mate,  sings  cheerfully  and  pleasantly.  They  are  sometimes 
heard  to  sing  as  the  spring  approaches,  in  their  winter  quar- 
ters in  North  and  South  Carolina. 


BB!!! 


mm 


7smm 


asBsam 


mmm 


•  t 


ARCTIC    OROUNO>FlNCII. 


589 


«t«  !>V^ 


BLACK-FINCII,  or  SNOW-BIRD. 


(FVingilla  hiemalis,  Linn.  F.  nivalis,  Wilson.    Nutt.  Man.  Orn.  i. 

P.491.) 

This  species  is  merely  a  summer  resident  in  the  fur  coun- 
tries, and  is  not  common,  nor  is  it  seen  apparently  beyond 
the  57th  parallel.  Though  their  autumnal  note  is  generally 
but  a  chirp,  we  now  and  then  hear  an  interrupted  warble 
from  the  young  birds,  commonly  at  the  instant  of  contend- 
ing with  each  other,  or  immediately  after. 


ARCTIC  GROUND-FINCH. 

(Fringilla  arctica,  Nobis.  Pyrgita  (Pipilo)  arctica,  Swains.  North. 
Zool.  ii.  p.  260.  pi.  51.  [male.]  pi.  52  [female].) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  With  the  head,  neck,  and  upper  plumage  blackish 
(in  the  female  ferruginous-brown;)  back,  scapulars,  and  wing  cov- 
erts striped  with  white  ;  Ist  and  8th  quills  nearly  equal  in  length. 

This  handsome  Ground-Finch  was  observed  only  on  the 
plains  of  the  Saskatchewan,  where  it  no  doubt  breeds,  as 
one  specimen  was  killed  late  in  July.  It  arrives  about  the 
close  of  May,  and  frequents  shady  and  moist  woods,  where 
it  is  generally  seen  on  the  ground.  Its  habits,  in  short,  cor- 
respond with  those  of  the  Towhe  Bunting,  which  it  so  much 
resembles  in  external  appearance.  It  feeds  much  on  larvae, 
and  is  a  solitary  and  retired,  but  not  a  distrustful  bird. 

The  length  about  8  inches  9  lines ;  the  tail  4  inches ;  the  folded 
wing  3i  inches ;  the  bill  above  about  i  an  inch ;  the  tarsus  1  inch  1 
line.  The  head,  neck,  above  and  below,  scapulars,  interscapulars,  all 
the  wing  coverts,  and  tail,  pitch-black  ;  some  of  the  breast  feathers 
fringed  with  white.  A  pure  white  stripe,  half  the  breadth  of  the 
web,  on  the  outer  edge  of  each  of  the  scapulars  and  interscapulars,  and 
the  greater  and  lesser  coverts  tipped  with  the  same.  The  3  exterior 
50 


590 


APPENDIX. 


<   i 


pairs  of  tail  feathers  tipped  internally  with  an  oyal  patch  of  white, 
the  outer  pair  also  edged  with  white.  Quills  hair-brown,  the  2d  to 
the  4th  inclusive  partially  edged  with  an  oblique  white  line,  the  rest 
narrowly  edged  with  light  French  grey.  Middle  of  the  breast  and 
belly  pure  white.  Sides,  flanks,  and  under  tail  coverts  deep  and 
bright  ferruginous.  Inner  wing  coverts  greyish-white.  Bill  black. 
Legs  pale  brown 

This  species  difTers  from  F.  erythropthahna  in  having  a  smaller 
bill,  with  the  ridge  less  arched,  the  claws  are  also  more  slender,  some- 
what longer  and  obviously  less  curved.  The  tarsi  are  less  robust, 
and  one  tenth  of  an  inch  shorter.  The  1st  quill  feather  is  mani- 
festly longer,  the  Ist  and  8th  quill  feathers  are  nearly  equal  in  length ; 
whereas  in  the  Common  Ground-Robin  the  1st  quill  is  scarcely  equal 
to  several  of  the  secondaries.  —  Note.  The  Pipilo  mactUata,  Swain- 
soM,  of  Mexico  approaches  very  near  to  the  present. 


WHITE-WINGED  CROSSBILL. 

(Loxia  leucoptera,  Gmel.  Bonap.  Nvtt.  Man.  Orni  i.  p.  540.) 

This  species,  according  to  Richardson,  inhabits  the  dense 
white  spruce  forests  of  the  fur  countries,  feed  ing  principally 
on  the  seeds  of  the  cones.  It  ranges  through  the  whole 
breadth  of  the  continent,  and  probably  up  to  the  68th  par- 
allel, where  the  forests  terminate.  It  is  usually  seen  in  the 
upper  branches  of  trees,  and,  when  wounded,  still  clings  so 
fast  as  to  remain  suspended  after  death.  In  September  col- 
lecting in  small  flocks,  they  fly  from  tree  to  tree  in  a  restless 
manner  and  make  a  chattering  noise  ;  and  in  the  depth  of 
winter  they  retire  from  the  coast  to  seek  shelter  in  the  thick 
woods  of  the  interior. 

Loxia  curvirostra,  was  not  observed  by  the  naturalists  of 
the  northern  expeditions  in  any  part  of  the  fur  countries. 
It  is  however  described  by  Forster.  In  the  winter  of  1832, 
during,  or  soon  after  a  severe  snow  storm,  a  large  flock  of 


■BRB 


WIIITE-WINOED   CR088DILL. 


601 


these  uncertain  winter  visiters  were  seen  in  a  Red  Cedar 
grove  near  to  Mount  Auburn  in  this  vicinity.     The  present 
season,  (1833,)  accompanied  by  the  White-Winged  species, 
a  flock  of  the  same  birds  made  their  appearance,  as  early 
as  the  1 1th  of  November,  in  some  tall  Pine  trees,  in  the 
same  place,  they  visited  the  last  year  in  the  depth  of  winter. 
They  are  very  busy  and  unsuspicious,  have  very  much  the 
manners  of  Parrots  in  their  feeding.     At  some  distance  be- 
neath the  trees  where  they  are  engaged,  we  can  hear  them 
forcing  open  the  scales  of  the  rigid  pine  cones  with  a  con- 
Riderable  crackling,  and  the  wings  of  the  seeds  fly  about  in 
all  directions.     Sometimes  the  little  Red  Polls  also  attend  to 
snatch  a  seed  or  two  as  they  are  spread  to  the  winds.     They 
fly  somewhat  like  the  Yellow-Birds,  by  repeated  jerks  and 
sinkings  and  risings  in  their  course,  but  proceed  more  swifl 
and  direct  to  their  destination ;  they  also  utter  a  rather  loud 
And  almost  barking  or  fifing  chirp,  particularly  the  females, 
like  Hsh  'tship,  'tsh  'tship.     Their  enemies  seem  also  to  fol- 
low them  into  this  distant  and  unusual  retreat.     One  even- 
ing, as  they  were  uttering  their  quailing  chirp,  and  about  to 
roost  in  the  Pines,  we  heard  an  unusual  cry,  and  found  that 
the  alarm  was  justly  occasioned  by  the  insidious  and  daring 
attack  of  a  bold  Butcher-Bird  (Lanius  borealis),  who  had 
taken  advantage  of  their  bewildered  confusion  at  the  mo- 
ment of  retiring  to  repose.     Besides  their  call  and  ordinary 
plaints,  we  hear,  as  I  have  thought,  now  and  then,  in  the 
warmer  part  of  the  day  a  rather  agreeable,  but  somewhat 
monotonous  song.     We  found  these  birds,  as  well  as  the 
Red  Polls,  very  fat  and  plump ;  and  they  devour  a  great 
quantity  of  pine  seeds,  with  which  the  sesophagus  is  perpet- 
ually gorged  as  full  as  in  the  gluttonous  and  tuneless  Cedar- 
Birds  (Bomby  cilia.)  > 


693 


APPENDIX. 


LESSER  REDPOLL. 


(Pringilla  Unaria,  Lmif.  Nutt.  Man.  Om.  i.  p.  512.  Linaria  minor, 
Ray.  Rich,  and  Swains,  ii.  p.  3G7.  Leaser  Redpoll,  Penn.  Arct. 
Zool.  ii.  p.  879.  No.  802.  Arctic  Finch,  Idem.  p.  879.  A.  [young.] 
X,«  Sixerin,  Burr.  Oil.  iv.  p.  21C.     lo.  PI.  £nlum.  IGl,  2.) 

According  to  Richardson,  this  is  one  among  the  few 
hardy  and  permanent  residents  in  the  fur  countries,  where  it 
may  be  seen  in  the  coldest  weather,  on  the  banks  of  lakes  and 
rivers,  hopping  among  the  reeds  and  carices,  or  clinging  to 
their  stalks.  They  are  numerous  throughout  the  year,  even 
in  the  most  northern  districts,  and  from  the  rarity  of  their 
migrations  into  the  United  States,  it  is  obvious  that  they  are 
influenced  by  no  ordinary  causes  to  evacuate  the  regions  in 
which  they  are  bred.  Famine  in  all  probability,  or  the 
scarcity  of  food  urges  them  to  advance  towards  the  south. 
It  is  certain  that  they  do  not  forsake  their  natal  regions  to 
aeek  shelter  from  the  cold.  This  season,  by  the  7th  or  8th 
of  November  (1833,)  before  the  occurrence  of  any  extraor- 
dinary  cold  weather,  they  arrived  in  this  vicinity  (Cambridge, 
Mass.)  in  considerable  flocks,  and  have  not  paid  a  visit  to 
this  quarter  before,  to  my  knowledge,  for  10  or  12  years. 
They  now  regularly  assemble  in  the  birch  trees  every  morn- 
ing to  feed  on  their  seeds,  in  which  employment  they  are 
so  intent,  that  it  is  possible  to  advance  to  the  slender  trees  in 
which  they  are  engaged,  and  shake  them  oS  by  surprise 
before  they  think  of  taking  wing.  They  hang  upon  the 
twigs  with  great  tenacity,  and  move  about  while  feeding 
in  reversed  postures  like  the  Chickadees.  After  being  shot 
at,  they  only  pass  on  to  the  next  tree  and  resume  their  feed- 
ing as  before.  They  have  a  quailing  call  perfectly  similar 
with  that  of  the  Yellow-Bird  (Fringilla  tristis),  twee  tioee, 
or  tshe-vee ;  and  when  crowding  together  in  flight,  make  a 
confused  chirping  'twit  'itwit  'twit  'twit  'twit,  with  a  rattling 


.  \  '  '*<%^.  r*^'*-»»*. 


UREY-CROWNBD    LINNKT. 


503 


noise,  and  Bomf'timefl  go  off  with  a  simuUanoouR  twitter.  Oc- 
casionally they  dcHcond  from  their  favorite  birches  and  pick 
up  sun-flower  aerds  and  those  of  the  various  weedy  Cheno- 
podiums  growing  in  wastes.  At  length  they  seemed  attracted 
to  the  Pines,  by  the  example  of  the  Crossbills  and  were 
busily  employed  in  collecting  their  seeds.  As  the  weather 
becomes  colder  they  also  roost  in  these  sheltering  evergreens ; 
and  confused  flocks  are  seen  whirling  about  capriciously  in 
quest  of  fare,  sometimes  descending  on  the  fruit  trees,  to 
feed  on  their  budb,  by  way  of  variety.  Though  thus 
urged  from  their  favorite  regions  in  the  north  there  appeared 
no  obvious  reason  for  their  movements,  as  we  found  them 
fat,  and  not  driven  to  migrate  from  any  imtoinent  necessity. 


GREY-CROWNED  LINNET. 

(Fringilla  tephrocotis,   Noma.  Linaria  (Leucostictk)  tephrocotiSf 
SwAiifsoN,  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  2G5.  pi.  50.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Umber-brown  ;  crown  blackish;  hind  head  greyish- 
white  ;  lesser  wing  and  tail  coverts  with  the  flanks,  tipped  with 
rose-red. 

Only  a  single  specimen  of  this  singular  new  bird  was 
obtained  on  the  banks  of  the  Saskatchewan,  in  the  month 
of  May. 

Length  6  inches  9  lines ;  the  tail  2  inches  8  lines ;  the  folded  wing 
4  inches ;  the  bill  above  i^  an  inch,  to  the  rictus  G^  lines ;  tarsus  0 
lines ;  middle  toe  i  an  inch.  —  Dark  chestnut-brown  or  deep  umber 
color,  somewhat  paler  on  the  belly,  and  darkest  on  tlie  chin,  neck 
and  ears.  Front  brownish-black,  gradually  changing  posteriorly  into 
shining  ash-grey,  which  becomes  almost  white  on  the  hind  head. 
Nasal  feathers  whitish  and  shining.  Wings,  tail,  and  their  coverts 
clove-brown.  The  lesser  wing  coverts  broadly  edged  with  bright 
peach-blossom  red ;  the  greater  coverts  more  slightly  margined  witlx 
red ;  and  the  wings  and  tail  have  only  narrow  and  pale  edgings.  Rump 
50* 


594 


APPENDIX. 


and  upper  tail  coverts  broadly  tipped  with  rose-red ;  the  flanks  and 
under  tail  coverts  the  same,  but  paler.  Wings  very  long  and 
pointed,  the  3  first  quills  nearly  equal,  ^ 


'">i  ^'■ 


•r!;/ 


EVENING  GROSBEAK. 


'.Va' 


(FringiUa  vespertina,  Cooper.  Rich,  and  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii. 
p.  269.  pi.  68.    NcTT.  Man.  Orn.  i.  p.  526.)      , 

This  very  brilliant  and  remarkable  bird  is  a  common 
inhabitant  of  the  maple  groves  which  occupy  the  plains  of 
the  Saskatchewan ;  and  hence  arises  its  common  aboriginal 
Cree  name  of  the  Sugar-Bird  ( Seesehasquit-pethaysish).  It 
arrives  in  the  fur  countries  with  the  last  of  the  summer  resi- 
dents considerably  beyond  the  commencement  of  the  month 
of  June.  It  also  frequents  the  borders  of  Lake  Superior 
and  the  eastern  declivity  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  in  the 
latitude  of  660.  * 


ROSE-BREASTED  GROSBEAK. 

(Fringilla  lutUmciana,  Bonap.  Nutt.  Man.  Orn.  i.  p.  527.) 
On  the  dreary  and  desolate  coast  of  Labrador  Mr.  Audu- 
bon found  this  species  breeding  commonly.  In  the  interior 
of  the  fur  countries,  however,  it  appears  to  be  sufficiently 
rare,  since  merely  a  single  specimen  was  obtained  near  the 
Saskatchewan  on  Sir  John  Franklin's  first  Expedition,  and 
none  aflerwards.  *., 


SAFFRON-HEADED  TROOPIAL. 

(Icterus  xanthocephalus,  Bonap.  Synops.  p.  52.  No.  52.  /.  icteroee- 
phalus,  Idem.  Orn.  i.  p.  27.  pi.  3.  Nutt.  Man.  Orn.  i.  p.  176. 
Jigelauis  xanthocepluilus,  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  281.) 

This  bird  is  very  numerous  in  the  fur  countries,  its  sum- 
mer range,  as  well  as  that  of  the  Red- Winged  Blackbird, 


BALTIMORE    ORIOLE. 


ms 


with  which  it  associates,  being  about  the  58th  parallel,  bui 
has  not  been  seen  eastward  of  Lake  Winnipeg,  or  the  Mis- 
sissippi. It  arrives  on  the  banks  of  the  latter  from  the 
southward  in  the  middle  of  May,  and  by  the  20th  of  the 
same  month  it  is  seen  on  the  plains  of  the  Saskatchewan, 
where  associated  with  its  sable  relative,  as  already  mention- 
ed, and  with  the  Purple  Grakle,  but  in  even  greater  num- 
bers, they  commit  serious  havoc  in  the  corn-fields,  tearing  up 
the  sprouting  grain  with  the  greatest  boldness  and  perse- 
verance, returning  to  one  side  of  the  field  as  fast  nearly  as 
they  are  chased  from  the  other.  Their  manners,  in  short, 
are  precisely  like  those  of  the  Red- Wings.  It  would  ap- 
pear that  this  species,  distinct  from  the  icterocephalus,  is  yet 
unknown  in  the  other  parts  of  the  continent ;  though  in  the 
range  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  it  will  no  doubt  commonly 
visit  Mexico.  ' 


BALTIMORE  ORIOLE. 

(Icterus  Baltimore^  Davdin.    Bonap.  No.  49.  Rich,  and  Swains. 
North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  284.    Nctt.  Man.  Orn.  i.  p.  152.) 

The  summer  range  of  this  beautiful  bird  in  the  fur  coun- 
tries extends  to  the  55th  degree  of  latitude,  arriving  on  the 
plains  of  the  Saskatchewan,  according  to  Richardson  about 
the  10th  of  May,  or  nearly  as  early  as  their  arrival  in  Mas- 
sachusetts. Those  which  thus  visit  the  wilds  of  Canada,  in 
all  probability  proceed  at  once  from  Mexico  or  ascend  the 
great  valley  of  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri. 

Since  publishing  the  account  of  this  bird  in  the  first  vol- 
ume of  the  present  Manual,  I  have  had  a  male  bird  in  a  state 
of  domestication,  raised  from  the  rest  very  readily  on  fresh 
minced  meat  soaked  in  milk.  When  established,  his  princi- 
pal food  was  scalded  indian  corn-meal,  on  which  he  fed  con- 


I 


596 


APPENDIX. 


tentedly,  but  was  also  fond  of  sweet  cakes,  insects  of  all  de- 
scriptions, and  nearly  every  kind  of  fruit.  In  short,  he  eat 
«yery  thing  which  he  would  in  a  state  of  nature,  and  did 
not  refuse  to  taste  and  eat  of  every  thing  but  the  condi- 
ments which  enter  into  the  multifarious  diet  of  the  human 
species :  he  was  literally  omnivorous. 

No  bird  could  become  more  tame,  allowing  himself  to 
be  handled  with  patient  indifference,  and  sometimes  with 
playfulness.  The  singular  mechanical  application  of  his 
bill  was  remarkable,  and  explains  at  once  the  ingenious  art 
employed  by  the  species  in  weaving  their  nest.  If  the  folded 
hand  was  presented  to  our  familiar  Oriole,  he  endeavored  to 
open  it  by  inserting  his  pointed  and  straight  bill  betwixt  the 
closed  fingers,  and  then,  by  pressing  open  the  bill  with  great 
muscular  force,  in  the  manner  of  an  opening  pair  of  com- 
passes, he  contrived,  if  the  force  was  not  great,  to  open  the 
hand  and  examine  its  contents.  If  brought  to  the  face  he 
did  the  same  with  the  mouth,  and  would  try  hard  to  open  the 
closed  te^th.  In  this  way,  by  pressing  open  any  yielding 
interstice,  he  could  readily  insert  the  threads  of  his  nest, 
and  pass  them  through  an  infinity  of  openings  so  as  to  form 
the  ingenious  net-work  or  basis  of  his  suspensory  and  pro- 
creant  cradle. 

In  the  ipring  of  1833,  while  travelling  in  the  month  of 
May  through  the  back  part  of  Pennsylvania,  the  trees,  now 
rapidly  unfolding  their  tender  leaves,  were  peopled  with 
hosts  of  melodious  birds,  and  among  the  rest  was  heard  pre- 
eminent the  loud  and  querulous  fife  of  the  brilliant  Balti- 
more. My  attention  was  thus  accidentally  drawn  to  watch 
the  employment  of  a  busy  female  of  the  species,  who,  at- 
tended by  her  gay,  brilliant,  and  tuneful  mate,  seemed 
nearly  to  have  completed  the  fabric  of  her  nest,  in  obedience 
to  the  instinct  of  her  favorite  hopes  of  progeny.  She  seem- 
ed, however,  to  tug  long  in  the  same  mesh,  and  on  drawing 


RUSTY   6RAKLE. 


597 


near,  I  perceived  with  dismay  and  surprise,  that  the  feet  of 
our  busy  Oriole  were  forcibly  entangled  in  the  side  of  the 
nest.  Apprehending  the  fate  of  these  toilsome  and  fruit- 
less struggles,  I  endeavored  to  interest  some  bystanders  so 
far,  as  to  sever  down  the  lofty  bough  of  the  Button-Wood, 
in  which  the  distressing  scene  had  occurred  ;  but  while  we 
delayed,  from  the  difficulty  of  the  task,  the  unhappy  victim 
to  this  frustrated  instinct,  cleared  her  feet,  and  now  got  en- 
tangled by  the  neck.  In  this  sad  predicament  of  our  bird  I 
had  to  leave  the  premises,  and  have  little  doubt  but  that  the 
hopes  and  endeavors  of  this  active  tenant  of  the  grove  were 
soon  terminated  in  death.  The  male,  though  uneasy,  seem- 
ed both  unconscious  of  the  danger  of  his  mate  and  unable 
or  unconcerned  in  the  means  of  her  escape. 


{;>.;-,:;•*' r 


RUSTY  GRAKLE.  ^ 

(Qtdscalus  ferrugineuSf  Bonap.  Nutt.  Man.  Orn.  i.  p.  199.) 
In  addition  to  the  geographical  limits  of  this  species  we 
may  add,  according  to  Richardson,  that  it  is  the  most  nor- 
thern of  its  family,  in  its  summer  or  breeding  range,  pro- 
ceeding as  far  as  the  68th  parallel,  or  as  high  in  the  fur 
countries  as  the  forests  extend.  It  arrives  on  the  Saskatche- 
wan by  the  end  of  April,  and  at  Great  Bear  Lake  in  65°  by 
the  3d  of  May,  usually  in  pairs,  and  for  a  time  frequenting 
the  beaches  of  secluded  lakes,  and  feeding  on  coleopterous 
insects.  Later  in  the  season  they  join  the  flocks  of  Red- 
Wings,  Purple  Grakles,  and  Cow  Buntings  in  committing 
depredations  in  the  corn-fields.      ,' 


■1,1'' !V. 


y 


698 


APPENDIX. 


A 


CANADA  JAY,  or  WHISKEY-JACK. 

(Corvus  canadensis,  Bosap.  Nutt.  Man.  Orn.  i.  p.  232.  Garndus 
canadensis,  Rich,  and  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  295.  Q^aqua- 
shew,  of  the  Aloonquins,   and  Whiska-shavmeesh,  of  the  Crees.) 

Sp.  Cuaract.  —  Brownish-grey  ;  below  yellowish-grey ;  hind  head 
and  nape  black ;  front,  throat,  and  sides  of  the  neck  white. 

This  inelegant  but  familiar  bird,  inhabits  all  the  woody 
districts  of  the  remote  fur  countries  from  the  65th  parallel  to 
Canada,  and  now  and  then  in  severe  winters  extends  its  de- 
sultory migrations  within  the  northern  limits  of  the  United 
States.  Scarcely  has  the  winter  traveller  in  those  cold  re- 
gions chosen  a  suitable  place  of  repose  in  the  forest,  cleared 
away  the  snow,  lighted  his  fire,  and  prepared  his  tent,  when 
the  Whiskey-Jack  insidiously  pays  him  a  visit,  and  boldly 
descends  into  the  sdcial  circle  to  pick  up  any  crumbs  of 
frozen  fish,  or  morsels  of  dry  meat  that  may  have  escaped 
the  mouths  of  the  weary  and  hungry  sledge-dogs.  This 
confidence  is  almost  the  only  recommendation  of  our  familiar 
intruder.  There  is  nothing  pleasing  in  his  voice,  plumage, 
or  attitudes.  But  this  dark  sinister  dwarf  of  the  north  is 
now  the  only  inhabitant  of  those  silent  and  trackless  forests, 
and  trusting  from  necessity  in  the  forbearance  of  man, 
he  fearlessly  approaches,  and  craves  his  allowed  pittance 
from  the  wandering  stranger  who  visits  his  dreary  domain. 
At  the  fur  posts  and  fishing  stations  he  is  also  a  steady  at- 
tendant, becoming  so  tamed  in  the  winter  by  the  terrible 
inclemency  of  the  climate  as  to  eat  tamely  from  the  offered 
hand ;  yet,  at  the  same  time,  wild  and  indomitable  under 
this  garb  of  humility,  he  seldom  survives  long  in  confine- 
ment, and  pines  away  with  the  loss  of  his  accustomed  lib- 
erty. It  hops  with  activity  from  branch  to  branch,  but 
when  at  rest,  sits  with  its  head  drawn  m,  and  with  its  plu- 
mage loose.     The  voice  of  this  inelegant  bird  is  plaintive 


SHORT-BILLED   JAY. 


599 


and  squeaking,  though  it  occasionally  makes  a  low  chatter- 
ing, especially  when  its  food  appears  in  view.  Like  our 
Blue  Jay  it  has  the  habit  of  hoarding  berries,  morsels  of 
meat,  &c.  in  the  hollows  of  trees,  or  beneath  their  bark. 
These  magazines  prove  useful  in  winter,  and  enable  it  to  rear 
its  hardy  brood  even  before  the  disappearance  of  the  snow 
from  the  ground,  and  long  before  any  other  bird  indigenous 
to  those  climates.  Its  nest  is  concealed  with  such  care  that 
but  few  of  the  natives  have  ever  seen  it.  "    .    '"-Y^ 


SHORT-BILLED  JAY. 

(Corvus  (Garrijlds)  brachyrynchus,  Nobis.  Garrvlus  brachyript' 
chus,  SwAiNSON,  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  296.  pi.  55.  Jeeza,  of  the  Cop- 
per Indians,  and  Dog-Ribs.)  ':.'     ^  'ib  -nH; 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bluish-grey,   darker  on  the   head :  frontlet,  chin, 
,.  orbits  and  ears  blackish :  bill  short. 

The  only  specimen  obtained  of  this  dusky  and  inelegant 
bird,  according  to  Richardson,  was  killed  on  the  rqof  of  the 
dwelling  house  at  Fort  Franklin.  Its  general  appearance 
and  manners  resemble  those  of  the  Canada  Jay  so  strongly, 
that  it  was  not  recognised  as  a  distinct  species,  and  conse- 
quently it  could  not  be  ascertained  whether  it  replaced  the 
Canadian  species  in  high  latitudes,  or  whether  both  existed 
in  the  same  range  of  climate.     ?        <     ^  ^:^'    >    /      ■  %y!>;a 

Length  10  inches ;  the  tail  4  inches  3  lines ;  length  of  the  wing  5 
inches  2  lines ;  the  bill  above,  8  lines,  to  the  rictus  10^  lines ;  tarsus 
Ij^  inches;  the  middle  toe  9  lines  long.  —  Bluish-grey, 'lightest  on 
the  rump  and  belly ;  deepening  on  the  head  and  wing  coverts  to 
blackish-grey.  Frontlet,  orbits,  chin,  and  ears  blackish ;  breast  ting- 
ed with  yellowish-grey.  Shafts  of  the  quills  and  tail,  and  inner 
webs  of  the  former,  pitch-black ;  tips  of  the  lesser  quills  and  tail  pale 
yellowish-grey,  approaching  to  white.  Bill  blackish,  the  commissure 
and  tip  pale.  Legs  blackish-brown.  Bill  similar  to  that  of  C.  cana- 
densis but  a  little  shorter,  rather  broader  at  the  base.  Wings  3 
inches  shorter  than  the  tail. 


600 

■;y.    :.,'j.f 


APPENDIX. 


I  \ 


DOWNY  WOODPECKER. 


I'.:-    orn: 


(Pirns  pubescenBf  Bonap.  Syn.  No.  43.    Nctt.  Man.  Orn.  i.  p.  576. 
P.  (Dendrocopus)  pubescenSf  Swain.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  307.)  .  ' 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Varied  with  black  and  white;  beneath  white; 
crown  and  hind  head  black,  the  latter  margined  by  a  red  band : 
2d  quill  much  shorter  than  the  7th.  —  Obs.  The  lateral  tail  feath- 
ers  broad  and  obtuse ;  the  shafls  broad,  each  terminating  in  an 
abrupt  point,  and  not  reaching  to  the  apex  of  the  extreme  barbs. 

This  diminutive  and  very  industrious  species  is  a  constant 
inhabitant  of  the  fur  countries  up  to  the  58th  parallel ;  seek- 
ing its  food  principally  on  the  maple,  elm,  and  ash ;  and  north 
of  latitude  54°,  where  the  range  of  these  trees  terminate, 
on  the  aspen  and  birch.     The  circles  of  round  holes  which 
it  makes  with  so  much  regularity  round  the  trunks  of  living 
trees,  are  no  doubt  made  for  the  purpose  of  getting  at  the 
sweet  sap  which  they  contain.     In  the  month  of  f  ebruary 
(1830)  I  observed  these  borers  busy  tapping  the  small  live 
trunks  of  several  Wax-Myrtles  (Myrica  cerifera),  and  these 
perforations  were  carried  down  into  the  alburnum  or  sap- 
wood,  but  no  further;   no  insects  could  be  expected,  of 
course,  in  such  situations,  and  at  this  season  very  few  could 
be  obtained  any  where.     On  examining  the  oozing  sap,  I 
found  it  to  be  exceedingly  saccharine,  but  in  some  instances, 
astringent  or  nearly  tasteless.     To  a  bird,  like  the  present, 
which  relishes  and  devours  also  berries,  I  make  no  doubt 
but  that  this  native  nectar  is  sought  after  as  agreeable  and 
nutritious  food,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Baltimore  Bird 
collects  the  saccharine  secretion  of  the  fruit  blossoms ;  and 
in  fact  I  have  observed  the  Woodpecker  engaged  in  the  act 
of  sipping  this  sweet  fluid,  whicli  so  readily  supplies  it  on 
all  occasions,  with  a  temporary  substitute  for  more  substan- 
tial fare.     Sometimes,  however,  on  discovering  insects  in  a 


LITTLE  GEORGIAN  WOODPECKER. 


601 


tree,  it  forgets  its  taste  for  the  sap,  and  in  quest  of  its  prey 
occasionally  digs  deep  holes  into  the  trees  large  enough  to 
admit  its  whole  body. 


LITTLE  MIDLAND  WOODPECKER. 

(Picus  (Dendrocopcs)  medianus,  Swains.  North.  Zool.   i.  p.  308. 

[in  a  note].)  '    . 

?".  Charact.  —  Varied  with  black  and  white;  crown  black,  with 
the  hind  head  red,  and  both  spotted  with  white :  2d  quill  much 
longer  than  the  7th. 

Obs.  Lateral  tail  feathers  narrowed  and  pointed  at  the  ends :  the 
shafts  narrow,  gradually  pointed,  and  extending  to  the  apex  of  the 
feathers. 

This  species,  if  such  it  may  prove,  appears  to  be  confined 
to  the  Middle  States  principally  ;  and  is  not  uncommon  in 
New  Jersey.  It  closely  resembles  P.  puhescens  in  its  size 
and  general  appearance,  and  is  confounded  with  it.  The 
female  differs  in  having  the  upper  part  of  the  head  wholly 
black. 


LITTLE  GEORGIAN  WOODPECKER. 

(Picus  (Dendrocopcs)  meridionalis,  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  308 

[in  note].) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Varied  with  black  and  white  ;  beneath  grey  ;  crown 
black,  a  broad  red  band  on  the  hind-head;  2d  quill  equal  to 
the  8th. 

This  species  is  smaller  than  P.  pubescens,  which  it  re- 
sembles generally,  as  well  as  in  the  structure  of  the  shafts, 
and  rounded  form  of  the  tail  feathers.  The  under  plumage 
however  is  hair-brown  (as  dark,  but  not  so  yellow,  as  that  of 
Picus  major)  instead  of  white,  or  whitish,  as  in  P. pubescens ; 
51 


602 


APPENDIX. 


the  red  band  is,  however,  much  broader,  and  the  relative 
lengths  of  the  quills  are  different.  —  It  inhabits  Georgia. 
(Described  from  two  specimens.) 


Ii 


COMMON  THREE-TOED  WOODPECKER. 

(Pieua  (Apternus)  tridactylus,  Swainson,  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  311. 
Three-toed  Woodpecker,  Edwards,  pi.  114.  Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii. 

No.  168.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Varied  with  black   and  white;  forehead  spotted; 
crown  pale  yellow  ;  bill  considerably  depressed. 

AccoRDiNa  to  Richardson,  this  bird  exists  as  a  perma- 
nent resident  in  all  the  spruce  forests  between  Lake  Supe- 
rior and  the  Arctic  Sea,  and  is  the  most  common  Wood- 
pecker north  of  Great  Slave  Lake.  It  resembles  P.  villa- 
sus  in  its  habits,  seeking  its  food,  however,  principally  on 
decaying  trees  of  the  Pine  tribe,  in  which  it  frequently  bur- 
rows holes  large  enough  to  bury  itself. 

Length  9^  inches ;  tail  3j^ ;  wing  4^  inches ;  the  bill  above,  1 
inch  1  line  ;  the  tarsus  9i  lines.  —  Crown  pale  saffron-yellow,  with 
white  specs ;  the  rest  of  the  upper  surface  and  sides  of  the  head 
velvet-black,  thickly  spotted  with  white  on  the  forehead,  round  the 
crown,  and  on  the  sides  of  the  throat.  A  white  line  from  the  eye  to 
the  nape,  and  another  from  the  nostrils  under  the  eye.  Back  and 
wings  blackish-brown ;  inner  scapulars  and  hind  part  of  the  back 
barred  with  white.  Tips  of  most  of  the  quills,  and  a  series  of  spots 
on  their  margins,  also  white.  Two  middle  pairs  of  tail  feathers 
brownish  black ;  two  exterior  pairs  barred  with  black  at  the  base  ; 
and  the  intermediate  pair  largely  tipped  with  white.  Chin,  throat, 
a  line  down  the  middle  of  the  belly,  and  the  under  tail-coverts, 
white  ;  sides  of  the  belly  and  inner  wing-coverts  barred  with  black. 
Bill  bluish-grey  above,  whitish  beneath.  Legs  lead  colored.  —  Female 
smaller,  and  without  the  yellow  on  the  crown,  the  top  of  the  head 
being  thickly  spotted  with  white. 


WINTER   WREN. 


653 


.      ARCTIC  THREE-T^  f.D  WOODPECKER.    ; 

(Picus  (Aptehnus)  arcticus,  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  313.  pi.  57. 
Picus  tridactylus,  Bonap.  and  N'-  '.  Man.  Orn.  i.  p.  378.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Above  glossy  black,  with  white  spots  on  the  quills 
only ;  beneath  white ;  sides  lineated  with  black ;  crown  saffron- 
yellow. 

What  we  have  said  under  this  species  applies  exclusively 
to  the  preceding  with  which  it  has  till  now  been  confound- 
ed. The  present  is  a  larger  bird,  with  the  bill  longer  in 
proportion  and  more  depressed.  It  has  been  seen  only  on 
the  eastern  declivity  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  where  the 
preceding  is  also  found. 


RED-SHAFTED  WOODPECKER. 

(Picus  (CoLAPTEs)  Mexicanus,  Nobis.  Colaptes  Mexicanus,  Swaims. 
North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  315.  Picus  Cafer,  Lath.  Ind.  Colaptes  colla- 
ris,  ViGous.  Zool.  Journ.  15.  p.  354.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Shafla  of  nearly  all  the  feathers  reddish-orange; 
maxillary  stripe  blood-red ;  body  beneath  vinaceous.  The  rest  of 
the  plumage  generally  as  in  P.  auratus. 

This  species,  so  similar  to  P.  auratus  in  size  and  the 
general  colors  and  markings  of  the  plumage,  inhabits  Mex- 
ico, New  California,  and  the  coast  of  the  Pacific  for  some 
distance  to  the  northward  of  the  Columbia  River. 


WINTER  WREN. 

{Troglodytes  hiemalis,  Vieillot.  Rich,  and  Swains.  North.  Zool. 
ii.  p.  318.  Winter  Wren,  Wilson,  i.  p.  139.  pi.  8.  fig.  6.  T.  Eu- 
rop(eu8,  BoNAP.  Synops.  p.  93.  No.  148.  Nutt.  Man.  Orn.  i. 
p.  437.) 


604 


APPENDIX. 


Compared  with  the  European  Wren,  the  general  color 
of  the  present  specief>  is  more  rufous  beneath,  the  black  and 
white  spots  extend  farther  towards  the  breast.  In  the  Eu- 
ropean bird,  tlie  wliole  of  the  neck,  breast,  and  anterior 
part  of  the  body,  are  greyish  brown,  and  spotless.  The 
tips  of  both  series  of  wing  coverts  in  the  present  are  marked 
with  a  white  dot,  internally  bordered  by  black :  in  the  for- 
eign species  the  dots  on  the  greater  wing  coverts  are  scarcely 
seen.  The  bill  in  the  present  is  shorter  and  less  curved, 
the  feet  larger,  but  the  tarsi  nearly  equal ;  the  hind  toe 
much  stronger.  Wings  two  tenths  of  an  inch  longer  than 
in  T.  Europaus. 

The  Winter  Wren  is  found  on  the  northern  shores  of 
Lake  Huron,  and  supposed  by  Dr.  Richardson  to  breed  in 
the  mountainous  district  between  that  lake  and  Hudson's 
Bay,  but  is  not  known  in  the  fur-countries. 

MARSH  WREN.     (Troglodites  palustris.) 

Was  observed  by  Mr.  Drummond  on  the  eastern  declivity 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  the  55th  parallel. 


RUBY-CROWNED  WREN. 

(Regultis  calendulus,  Bonap.    Nutt.  Man.  Orn.  i.  p.  415.) 

This  beautiful  and  minute  bird,  was  observed  breeding 
on  the  dreary  and  wintry  coast  of  Labrador  by  Mr.  Audu- 
bon, inhabiting  a  country  where  the  snow  still  remained  on 
north  exposures  nearly  throughout  the  montLi  of  July  ;  yet, 
in  this  secluded  and  cheerless  desert,  the  warmly  clad  Ruby- 
Crown  was  tuneful  and  content.  Its  song  resembled  that 
of  the  Canary,  but,  as  might  be  supposed  from  the  diminu- 
tive size  of  the  minstrel,  was  more  feeble  and  plaintive. 


NOOTKA    HVMMINO-BIRD. 


60S 


This  and  the  other  species  of  Regulus  were  not  observed 
by  any  of  the  Arctic  Expeditions  in  the  fur  countries  they 
traversed.     At  least  they  are  wholly  silent  on  the  subject. 


NORTHERN  HUMMING  BIRD. 

{Trochiltis  colubris,  Linn.  Rich,  and  SwAiirs.  North.   Zool.  ii.  p. 

323.) 

This  most  diminutive  but  swift  messenger  of  summer, 
almost  defying  the  obstruction  of  space,  from  its  mild  resorts 
within  the  tropics,  following  as  it  were  the  path  of  the  sun, 
it  extends  its  transient  northern  range  even  into  the  desert 
fur-countries,  and  following  the  great  valley  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, after  entering  the  boundaries  of  the  Union,  it  is  seen 
to  ran^e  with  undiminished  ardor  to  the  57th  parallel,  and 
perhaps  fiven  farther  towards  the  Arctic  Zone.  It  frequents 
the  warm  plains  of  the  Saskatchewan,  and  Mr.  Drummond, 
one  of  the  most  tiiterprising  of  naturalists,  found  its  dimin- 
utive nest  near  the  sources  of  Elk  River  in  the  distant 
interior.  ^ 

The  Humming-Bird,  is  deservedly  the  wonder  of  all  na- 
tions, savage,  as  well  as  civilized.  The  Mexicans  and  other 
nations  of  America,  considering  it  as  an  emanation  from 
their  deity,  called  it  the  Sun-beam,  and  also  the  Regenerated, 
as  they  believed  it  to  die  or  remain  dormant  in  the  rainy 
season  or  winter,  and  became  reanimated  with  the  return  of 
the  flowers  on  which  it  fed. 


V 


NOOTKA  HUMMING-BIRD. 


{Trochilus  ruftis,  Gmel.  Syst.  i.  p.  497.  T.  (Selasphokus)  rvfus, 
Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  324.  T.  collaris,  Lath.  Ind.  Orn.  i.  p. 
318.  Ruflf-necked  Humming-Bird.  Lath.  Syn.  ii.  p.  785.  pi.  35' 

51* 


eoo 


AITENDIX. 


General  HiHt.  iv.  p.  SuO.  Pikn.  Arot.  Zool  ii.  p.  177.  Lc  Satin, 
ViEiLL.  OiH.  dur.  pi.  Gl.  and  03.  liunuaing-Bird,  Cuuk'i  Third 
Voyage,  ii.  p.  2!t7.) 

Sp.  Ciiakact.  —  Cinnamon-rufous;  tail  cuneatc,  the  lateral  feathers 
of  tlio  throat  elongated.  —  Male,  with  a  mctalloidal  criinHon  and 
cupreous  throat.  The  female  golden-green,  with  the  throat  des- 
titute of  the  glowing  spot. 

TiiK  discovery  of  this  splendid  species,  in  the  cold  and 
dreary  regions  of  Nootka  Sound,  is  due  to  the  celebrated 
navigator  Captain  Cook.  Its  range  is  even  more  extensive 
on  the  western,  and  through  the  central  parts  of  America, 
than  the  common  species.  Kotzebue  found  it  in  summer  on 
the  Pacific  coast,  as  high  as  the  Olst  parallel  of  northern 
latitude,  and  Mr.  Svvainson  has  seen  specimens  from  the 
table-land  of  Mexico,  near  Real  del  Monte ;  so  that  our 
little  western  wanderer,  no  lesb  adventurous  than  the  Ruby- 
throat,  traverses  the  whole  continent,  from  the  equator,  pro- 
bably to  the  utmost  verge  of  flowering  vegetation,  on  the 
borders  of  the  Arctic  circle. 

According  to  Mr.  Svvainson,  the  total  length  of  a  specimen  in  hiu 
possession  is  2  inches  10  line-  j  the  wing  1  inch  7  lines  ;  tail  from 
tho  vent  1  inch ;  the  bill  above  7  lines  and  one  fifth,  measured  from 
the  rictus  8  inches  2  fifths.  The  gencrol  tint  of  the  upper  plumoge, 
rufous  or  cinnamon.  The  crown  and  wing-coverts  only,  have,  how- 
ever a  strong  coppery-greenish  gloss.  The  quills,  and  middle  of  the 
tail  feathers  with  their  tips,  pale  dusky  brown,  slightly  glossed  witli 
violet.  The  chin  and  throat  covered  with  scale-like  feathers,  of  a 
metallic  fire-like  color  glossed  with  red  ;  the  tints  vary  with  the  di- 
rection of  the  light,  and  in  all  are  exquisitely  splendid.  The  middle 
of  the  breast  and  vent  neorly  pure  white  ;  the  sides  and  under  tail 
covers  the  same  color  with  the  back.  Legs  and  feet  dark  brown.  — 
The  female  chiefly  diifers  in  being  golden-green,  where  the  male  is 
cinnamon  ;  and  the  throat  is  merely  spotted  with  the  glowing  ruby 
color  of  the  male.  Is  not  this  supposed  female  a  young  male  ?  as  in 
the  common  Ruby-Throat,  the  female  has  no  particle  of  metallic 
Bi/lendor  on  the  throat,  but  in  the  young  males  spots  of  this  kind 
appear  on  the  throat  in  the  latest  moult. 


CI.IfF    SWALLOW. 


007 


of  a 


Bill  very  utraight,  and  gibboua  both  nbovo  and  bcnoatli  towiirda 
tho  tip.  rrimarici  narrow  and  pointed,  the  lA  iihortor  than  the 
3d.  Tho  t'lil  more  cuncated  tiian  rounded,  the  two  middle  pairu 
of  featherB  be'ng  longest,  all  are  narrowed  and  obtuHoly  pointed, 
the  two  outer  pairti  particularly  narrow.  The  feathers  on  tho  side** 
of  the  throat  are  gradually  i-ion^ated  as  they  reccdo  from  the  cars, 
and  appear  capable  of  being  raised  into  two  tufts. 


AMERICAN,  OR  BARN  SWALLOW. 

{Ilirundo  amcricana,  Wilson.) 

In  the  fur-countries,  wlioro  tho  Imbitations  of  men  are 
few  ami  remote,  the  Swallow  inliabits  caves,  particularly-  in 
the  limestone  rocks ;  and  it  also  frequents  the  out-houses  at 
the  trading  posts.  When  Fort  Franklin  was  erected,  on 
tho  shores  of  Great  Bear  Lake,  in  the  autunm  of  1825,  Dr. 
Richardson  says,  they  found  many  of  its  nests  in  the  ruins 
of  a  house  that  had  been  abandoned  for  more  than  10  years. 
At  Fort  Chepcwyan,  lat.  57°,  the  Barn  Swallows,  have 
regularly  about  the  15th  of  May,  for  a  number  of  years, 
taken  possession  of  their  nests,  within  an  out-house,  and 
numbers  of  them  were  observed  in  the  same  month  at  Fort 
Good  Hope  (in  lat.  67}°)  the  most  northerly  post  in  Ame- 
rica. This  species  does  not  appear  to  agree  with  the  H. 
rufa,  of  Vieillot,  either  in  its  markings  or  the  economy  of 
its  nest.  The  Cayenne  bird  builds  a  nest  of  a  foot  and  a 
half  in  length,  without  mud,  and  with  an  opening  near  the 
bottom. 


CLIFF  SWALLOW. 

(tlirundo  lunifrons,  Say.  and  Rich,  and  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p. 

331.) 

This  species,  in  1820,  the  same  year  in  which  it  was 
discovered  by  Mr.  Say,  who  accompanied  Major  Long,  was 


608 


APPENDia:. 


i 


/  \ 


seen  in  great  numbers  by  Sir  John  Franklin's  party,  on 
the  banks  of  Point  Lake,  in  lat.  65°  where  its  earliest  arri- 
val noted  was  the  12th  of  June.  Its  clustered  nests  are 
of  frequent  occurrence  on  the  faces  of  the  rocky  cliffs  of 
the  Barren  Grounds,  and  they  are  not  uncommon  through- 
out the  whole  course  of  the  Slave  and  Mackenzie  Rivers. 
On  the  25th  of  June,  1825,  they  made  their  first  appear- 
ance at  Fort  Chepewyan,  and  built  their  nests  under  the 
eaves  of  the  dwelling-house,  six  feet  above  a  balcony  that 
extended  the  whole  length  of  the  building,  and  was  a  fre- 
quented promenade.  They  had  consequently  to  graze  the 
heads  of  the  passengers  on  entering  their  nests,  and  were 
moreover  exposed  to  the  curiosity  and  depredations  of  the 
children,  to  whom  they  were  novelties ;  yet  they  preferred 
the  dwelling-house  to  the  more  lofty  eaves  of  the  store-houses, 
and  in  the  following  season  returned  with  augmented  num- 
bers to  the  same  spot.  At  Fort  Chepewyan  the  young 
came  abroad  on  the  14th  of  July,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
month  the  whole  took  their  departure.  Under  the  eaves  of 
a  house,  the  nests  instead  of  being  clustered  and  provided 
with  long  necks,  are  placed  in  a  single  line,  and  adapted  to 
their  situation,  the  tubular  entrance  is  either  entirely  want- 
ing or  reduced  to  a  mere  ledge.  The  eggs  are  4,  oblong, 
and  white  with  dusky  spots.  The  note  is  a  gentle  twitter- 
ing like  that  of  the  Martin  of  Europe,  whose  mode  of  build- 
ing it  also  nearly  adopts. 

PURPLE  MARTIN.     {Hirundo  purpurea,  Linn.) 

This  species,  which  Mr.  Swainson  observed  round  Per- 
nambuco,  8|  degrees  south  of  the  line,  makes  its  first  appear- 
ance at  Great  Bear  Lake  on  the  17th  of  May,  at  which 
time  the  snow  still  partially  covers  the  ground,  and  the  rivers 
and  lakes  are  fast  bound  with  ice.  In  the  middle  of  August 
it  retires  with  its  young  from  the  fur-countries. 


DUSKY   GROUSE. 


609 


NIGHT-HAWK,  or  PISK. 


■'VV'  "1^ 


(^Caprimulgtts   virginianus,  Bonap.    Synops.   No.  69.  Rich,   and 
Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  837.)  -,  .5^^'' 

This  well  known  bird  ranges  in  summer  throughout  the 
fur-countries,  and  to  the  remotest  Arctic  islands.  It  makes 
its  first  appearance  at  Great  Bear  Lake  about  the  last  day 
of  May. 

BELTED  KINGFISHER.     (Alcedo  alcyon,  Linn.) 

This  species,  the  only  one  in  North  America,  frequents 
all  the  large  rivers  of  the  fur-countries  up  to  the  67th  degree 
of  latitude,  but  is  more  common  in  the  interior  than  near 
the  sea-coast.  About  the  middle  of  May,  when  the  rivers 
in  the  54th  parallel  break  up,  it  appears  on  the  banks  of  the 
Saskatchewan,  and  by  the  middle  of  June  it  has  penetrated 
to  its  utmost  northern  limits.  It  departs  southward  in  Sep- 
tember, and  is  also  resident  in  the  Southern  States  and  in 
the  West  Indies. 


DUSKY  GROUSE. 

{Tetrao  obscurus,  Say.  Rich,  and  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  344.pl. 
59.  and  60.  [male  and  female].  Nutt.  Man.  Orn.  i.  p.  666.) 

This  species  inhabits  the  Rocky  Mountains  from  latitude 
40°  to  64°,  and  perhaps  to  a  greater  extent.  According  to 
Mr.  Drummond,  in  the  mornings  during  pairing  time,  the 
usual  station  of  the  male  is  on  some  rocky  eminence  or 
large  stone,  where  he  sits  swelling  out  the  sides  of  his  neck, 
spreading  his  tail,  and  repeating  the  cry  of  "  coomhe,  coom- 
he,'*  in  a  soft,  hollow  tone.  The  males,  in  the  breeding 
iteason  are  so  pugnacious  and  fearless,  that  a  man  may  take 


610 


APPENDIX. 


one  of  them  up  in  his  hand  before  it  will  quit  its  antago- 
nist.    Its  food  consists  of  various  berries,  and  its  flesh  is  very 

palatable.  :w.<.-«^.    ■■■'•■  f*        ..-..■."',».;;,,,-       rB;Mjr^:>, -.;;;-,s:-./: 

The  male  is  about  2  feet  long ;  the  tail  8  inches.  Above  blackish- 
brown  ;  the  wings  paler.  Top  of  the  head  glossed  with  hair-brown. 
The  back  of  the  neck  very  minutely  undulated  with  lead-grey.  The 
scapulars,  tertiaries,  and  many  of  the  wing-coverts  tipped  with  grey, 
and  together  with  the  rump,  finely  undulated  with  yellowish-brown. 
Secondaries  edged  round  the  tips  with  grey,  and  mottled  on  the 
edges  with  greyish-brown.  Tail  deep  black.  —  Sides  of  the  head 
and  front  of  the  neck  black,  passing  to  blackish-grey  and  dark  lead- 
color  on  the  breast  and  middle  of  the  belly.  Lores,  cheeks,  chin, 
and  upper  part  of  the  throat,  barred  with  white.  Vent  brownish- 
white.  Shortest  under  tail-coverts  white,  intermediate  ones  barred 
with  black  and  white,  the  longest  black  tipped  with  white.  Flanks 
blackish-brown,  finely  waved  with  yellowish-brown,  striped  on  the 
shafts  and  edged  on  the  tips  with  white.  Axillary  feathers,  and 
most  of  the  inner  wing-coverts  white.  On  the  sides  of  the  neck 
next  the  shoulders,  the  base  of  the  plumage  is  white  j  at  this  part 
the  plumage  parts,  and  admits  of  the  naked  skin  being  pufied  out  at 
will.  Bill,  toes  and  nails  blackish-brown.  Naked  comb  over  the 
eye  orange-yellow.  There  is  no  crest;  and  the  4th  quill  is  the 
longest.  Tail  long  and  square,  the  feathers  truncated  at  the  ends. 
Tarsus  completely  feathered.    The  toes  pectinated. 


ROCK  GROUSE. 

(Tetrao  rtipestris,  IiAth.  Ind.  ii.  p.  C40.  sp.  11.  T.  (Laoopcs)  rupes- 
tris,  Rich,  and  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  354.  pi.  64.  [female]. 
Lagopus  rupestris,  Leach,  Gen.  Zool.  ii.  p.  290.  Rock  Grouse, 
Penn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  312.  No.  184.  Lath.  Synops.  Suppl. 
p.  217.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  rather  narrow  and  compressed  throughout ;  nails 
white  ;  tail  of  16  feathers.  —  Summer  plumage,  above  and  below 
barred  with  dusky  and  brownish-yellow,  below  lighter ;  wings 
above  and  below  nearly  all  white.  A  black  eye  stripe  in  the  male, 
and  with  the  middle  of  the  belly,  white. 


mm 


ROCK   GROUSE. 


I  ; 


This  species  is  nearly  allied  to  the  Common  Ptarmigan 
(T.  lagopus),  but  it  is  sm^ler,  has  more  of  the  brownish- 
yellow  in  its  summer  dress,  broader  bars  of  black,  and  none 
of  the  cinereous  tint  which  prevails  in  the  livery  of  the 
Ptarmigan.  In  winter  they  are  only  distinguishable  by  the 
size.  This  species  is,  according  to  Hutchins,  numerous  at 
the  two  extremities  of  Hudson's  Bay,  but  does  not  appear  at 
the  middle  settlements  (York  and  Severn  factories),  except 
in  very  severe  seasons,  when  the  Willow  Grouse  are  scarce. 
They  abound  in  Melville  Island  in  the  dreary  latitude  of 
74°  and  75°,  in  the  short  summers  of  that  frigid  and  cheer- 
less region.  It  is  also  found  on  Melville  Peninsula  and  the 
Barren  Grounds,  and  indeed  seldom  proceeds  farther  south 
in  winter  than  the  63d  parallel  in  the  interior,  but  descends 
the  coasts  of  Hudson's  Bay,  to  latitude  58°,  and  in 
-  'asons  still  farther  to  the  south.  It  is  also  met  with 
mge  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  as  far  to  the  south  as 


SAC 


in 


J' 


the  latitude  of  55°.  It  also  exists  in  Greenland,  Norway, 
and  Sweden,  where  it  is  known  by  the  name  of  sno  rissa. 
In  its  manner  and  mode  of  living  it  resembles  the  Willow 
Grouse,  but  does  not  retire  so  far  into  the  woody  country  in 
winter.  It  frequents  the  open  woods  on  the  borders  of  lakes 
at  the  same  season,  particularly  in  the  65th  parallel,  though 
the  bulk  of  the  species  remain  on  the  skirts  of  the  Barren 
Grounds.  It  hatches  in  June.  The  egg  is  of  a  pale  red- 
dish-brown, irregularly  blotched  and  spotted  with  darker 
brov/n. 

Length  14  inches ;  the  tail  4  inches ;  the  bill  above  7  lines ;  the 
tarsus  1  inch  4^  lines.  —  In  teinter,  snow-white.  The  shafts  of  6 
greater  quills  and  14  tail  feathers  black  ;  the  latter  narrowly  tipped 
with  white.  Bill  black.  Nails  whitish,  dark  at  the  base.  The  male 
has  a  black  eye  stripe  from  the  nostrils  to  the  hind  head.  Tail  of  16 
feathers,  14  black  ones  and  2  white  incumbent  ones.  —  Summer 
plumage  of  a  female.  The  head,  neck,  back,  scapulars,  tertiaries, 
port  of  the  intermediate  coverts,  and  the  under  plumage,  barred  with 


612 


APPENDIX. 


t  \ 


blackish-brown  and  brownish-yellow,  the  dark  color  predominating 
above,  and  the  yellow  beneath.  Most  of  the  dorsal  plumage  bor* 
dered  on  the  tips,  with  brownish-white.  The  remainder  of  the  wing 
above,  its  whole  surface  beneath,  and  the  axillaries,  white.  Quill- 
shafls  slightly  tinged  with  brown.  Vent  yellowish -brown.  Tail  of 
14  black  feathers,  with  white  tips,  and  2  central  incumbent  ones, 
which  with  the  adjoining  coverts,  are  barred  like  the  back.  In  the 
male  the  middle  of  the  belly  is  white.  The  bill  narrower  at  the  base 
and  more  compressed  throughout  than  that  of  the  Willow  Grouse, 
also  longer  and  narrower  than  that  of  Tetrao  lagopus.  3d  and  4th 
quill  longest. 


WHITE-TAILED  GROUSE.         ^ 

{Tetrao  (Lagopus)  leucurus,  Swains,  and  Richards.  North.  Zool. 

ii.  p.  356.) 

Sp.   CharAct.  —  In  winter  entirely   white.     In  summer  colored ; 

tail  and  vent  white. 

This  species,  with  the  habits  of  the  Ptarmigan,  inhabits 
the  snowy  peaks  near  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  river,  as 
well  as  the  lofty  ridges  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Its  sum- 
mer dress  is  intermediate  between  that  of  T.  lagopus  and 
T.  rupestris,  but  it  differs  from  both,  in  its  smaller  size,  and 
in  the  tail  which  remains  white  at  all  seasons  of  the  year. 
The  black  eye  stripe,  appears  also  to  be  wanting  in  both 
sexes. 

Length  1  foot ;  tail  4  inches  ;  the  wing  G  inches  9  lines ;  the  bill 
from  above,  J^  an  inch  ;  the  tarsus  1  inch  4  lines.  In  winter  snow 
white  to  the  base  of  the  plumage ;  quill  shafls  also  white.  Bill  blu- 
ish or  greyish-black.  Nails  dark  horn-color.  The  bill  less  compress- 
ed than  that  of  T.  rupestris.  Wings  proportionally  longer ;  scarcely 
an  inch  shorter  than  the  tail ;  3d  and  4th  quills  longest.  Tail  of  16 
feathers ;  the  middle  pair  incumbent. 

In  a  summer  specimen,  the  head  and  neck  are  shortly  barred  with 
blackish-brown  and  pale  wood-brown  or  brownish-white ;  the  front 


COCK    OF   THE   PLAINS. 


613 


of  the  nerk  paler.  Tail-coverts,  scapulars,  tertiaries,  and  the  pos- 
terior lesser  coverts,  blackish-brown,  cut  about  half  way  to  the  shafls 
by  rather  coarse  ochraceous  bars,  intermixed  with  nearly  an  equal 
number  of  pure  ochraceous  feathers  thickly  waved  with  fine  black 
lines.  The  breast,  belly,  and  flanks  are  mostly  pale  ochre,  broadly 
blotched  and  barred  with  blockish-brown,  intermixed  on  the  belly 
with  some  white  feathers,  and  on  the  breast  with  a  few  of  the  finely 
undulated  ones.  The  vent,  legs,  tail,  outer  border  of  the  wing,  pri- 
maries, secondaries,  and  greater  coverts,  white.  The  toes  partially 
naked  and  not  pectinated,  the  nails  short,  In  other  specimens  the 
dorsal  plumage,  particularly  on  the  head  and  neck,  is  nearly  as  grey 
as  in  7.  lagopua. 


COCK  OF  THE  PLAINS. 

{Tetrao  (Centrocercus)  urophasianus,  Swainsom,  North.  Zool.  ii. 
p.  358.  pi.  58.  Ndtt.  Man.  Orn.  i.  p.  C65.) 

The  flight  of  this  large  bird  is  slow,  unsteady,  and  attend- 
ed with  a  whirring  sound,  the  wings  being  kept  in  a  hurried 
motion,  as  in  most  other  Grouse.  It  also  runs  much  on  the 
ground  in  the  manner  of  the  Turkey,  and  is  not  very  partial 
to  taking  wing.*  Their  starting  cry,  like  that  of  the  com- 
mon Pheasant,  is  a  sort  of  'kuk,  'kuJc,  'kuk.  They  begin  to 
pair  in  March  and  April ;  and  at  this  time  repair  to  emin- 
ences  on  the  banks  of  streams  where  they  are  seen  assem- 
bled about  sun-rise.  The  male  lowers  his  wings,  and  pro- 
duces a  humming  sound  as  he  trails  his  outspread  pinions 
on  the  ground  ;  the  tail,  at  the  same  time,  is  spread 'out  like 
a  fan,  and  the  bare  space  on  the  breast  is  also  accompanied 
by  a  large  inflation.  He  then  struts  proudly  in  the  presence 
of  his  intended  mate,  uttering  a  confused  and  disagreeable 
*hurr-hurr-r-r-r'hoo'  ending  in  a  deep  and  hollow  tone,  like 


*  Thia  remark  I  owe  to  iny  friend  Mr.  N.  J.  Wyeth  who  has  visited  the  remote 
countries  inhabited  by  tliis  game. 

52 


614 


APPENDIX. 


the  sound  produced  by  blowing  into  a  cane.  They  nest  on 
the  ground  under  the  shelter  of  low  bushes,  or  near  streams 
among  the  wild  Canary  Grass  of  this  region.  The  nest  is 
made  of  dry  grass  and  slender  twigs.  The  eggs,  from  13 
to  17,  about  the  size  of  those  of  the  domestic  fowl,  are  of  a 
wood-brown  color,  with  irregular  chocolate  blotches  at  the 
thick  end.  The  period  of  incubation  extends  from  21  to 
22  days ;  and  as  in  other  birds  of  this  active  tribe,  the  young 
run  about  and  quit  the  nest  in  a  few  hours  after  being  hatch- 
ed. In  summer  and  autumn,  these  large  Grouse  are  seen 
only  in  small  numbers,  pairs  or  families,  but  in  winter  and 
spring,  partially  migratory,  they  are  then  seen  in  flocks  of 
several  hundreds,  roaming  about  in  quest  of  food.  They 
are  plentiful  throughout  the  barren  and  arid  plains  of  the 
Columbia,  as  well  as  in  the  interior  of  North  California, 
but  are  no  where  seen  to  the  east  of  the-  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. 

Length  of  the  male  about  25  inches ;  the  bill  above,  1  inch  7  lines. 
In  this  sex  the  general  color  of  the  upper  plumage  is  light  hair-brown, 
mottled  and  variegated  with  dark  umber-brown  and  yellowish-white. 
Each  feather  of  the  back  has  3  equidistant  bands  of  yellowish- white ; 
between  these  bars  one  of  which  is  terminal,  the  hair-brown  ground 
is  marked  with  small,  irregular  zig-zags  of  light  hair-brown ;  these 
colors  cross  the  shaft ;  but  on  the  wing-coverts  and  scapulars  the 
shafts  are  all  marked  by  a  narrow,  conspicuous  line  of  yellowish- 
white.  About  8  bands  of  this  color  on  the  tail,  of  different  degrees 
of  intensity,  with  intermediate  irregular  zig-zag  lines  of  the  same. 
The  quills  pale  and  almost  unspotted. —  Beneath  white,  and  unspotted 
on  the  breast  and  upper  part  of  the  body ;  but  dark  umber  approaching 
to  black  on  the  lower  half  of  the  body  and  part  of  the  flanks ;  the 
latter  towards  the  vent  are  marked  as  the  upper  plumage.  Under 
tail-coverts  black,  broadly  tipped  with  white.  Throat  and  region  of 
the  head  varied  with  blackish  on  a  white  ground.  The  shafts  of  all 
the  feathers  on  the  breast  are  black,  rigid,  and  look  like  hairs.  Bill 
and  toes  blackish.  Wings,  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  bird,  very 
short ;  the  lesser  quills  each  ending  in  a  small  point.    Tail  rather 


SHARP-TAILED    GROUSE. 


615 


long  and  considerably  rounded,  the  feathers  lanceolate,  and  gradu* 
ally  attenuated  to  a  fine  point  of  a  dusky  color. 

In  the  fevMlCf  the  upper  plumage  generally  as  well  as  the  front 
of  the  neck,  and  sides  of  the  breast,  is  dark  umber,  or  blackish-brown 
and  yellowish-white,  irregularly  barred  and  mottled  in  nearly  equal 
quantities ;  but  the  dark  color  forming  larger  blotches  towards  the 
base,  and  the  lighter  one  bars  on  the  tips  and  stripes  on  the  shafls. 
Fore  part  of  the  belly  white,  barred  with  black  ;  hinder  parts  black. 


SHARP-TAILED  GROUSE. 

{Tetrao  (Centrocercus)  phasianellus,  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p. 
361.  Fenn.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  No.  181.  Nutt.  Man.  Orn.  i.  p. 
669.)  .  ..  «... 

The  northern  limit  of  the  range  of  this  species,  accord- 
ing to  Richardson,  is  Great  Slave  Lake,  in  61*^ ;  and  its 
most  southern  recorded  station  is  in  41°,  on  the  Missouri. 
It  abounds  on  the  outskirts  of  the  Saskatchewan  plains, 
and  is  found  throughout  the  woody  districts  of  the  fur-coun- 
tries, in  open  glades  and  thickets  on  the  borders  of  lakes, 
particularly  in  the  partially  cleared  tracts  contiguous  to  the 
trading  posts.  In  winter,  like  the  Pinnated  Grouse,  it 
perches  generally  on  trees,  but  in  summer  it  is  much  on  the 
ground  ;  and  is  at  all  times  associated  in  coveys  of  10  to  16 
individuals.  Early  in  spring,  a  family  of  these  birds  selects 
a  level  spot,  whereon  they  meet  every  morning,  and  run 
round  in  a  circle  of  15  or  20  feet  diameter,  on  which  the 
grass  becomes  worn  quite  bare.  On  approaching  this  ring, 
the  birds  squat  close  to  the  ground,  but  in  a  short  time 
stretch  out  their  necks  to  survey  the  intruder,  and  if  not 
scared  by  any  nearer  advance,  they  soon  resume  their  circu- 
lar course,  some  running  to  the  right,  and  others  to  the  left, 
thus  meeting  and  crossing  each  other.  These  "  Partridge- 
dances"  last  for  a  month  or  more,  until  concluded  by  the 


•  'W""'fek  «>(»>-!»W»* 


.tffti»itw»t  iiA  i.iiiiiiHi'.'i'm— 


Wiioi.  ii««ii »i,>..lil(  i«»H»ijt     i»i^- 


616 


APPENDIX. 


■  iff 


more  serious  employ  of  incubation.  In  imitation  of  this 
curious  amusement  of  the  Sharp-Tailed  Grouse,  the  Indi> 
ans  of  the  upper  Missouri,  have  what  they  also  call  a  Par- 
tridge-Dance, in  which  the  old  men  chiefly  join. 


BLACK  SKIMMER. 

(Rhynchops  nigra,  Linn.  Syst.  i,  p.  228.  1.    Le  Bec-en-ciseaux,  Btliss, 

■    Orn.  vi.  p.  223.  1.  pi.  21.  fig.  2.     Buff.  PI.  Enlum.  357.     ^vis 

novacula  facie,  the  Sea  Crow,  Raii,  Synops.  p.  194.  5.  pi.  1.  fig. 

5.  Petiv.  Gazo.  t.  76.  fig.  2.  [the  bill].    Edwards,  pi.  281.  [do.] 

See  p.  264.  of  the  present  volume.)  < 

This  singular  bird,  inhabits  the  warmer  and  milder  parts 
of  the  United  States  from  the  coasts  of  New  Jersey  to 
Florida,  it  is  also  found  in  Guiana,  Cayenne,  and  Surinam. 
The  East  India  species  is  probably  distinct.  The  jR.  fnlva 
of  Guiana,  described  by  Linnaeus,  differs  from  the  present 
in  having  those  parts  fulvous  which  in  this  are  black ;  their 
general  appearance  and  habits  are  however  the  same. 


617 


^VUITE-TAILED   SNIFE. 

WHITE-TAILED  SNIPE. 


■   (Scolopax  leucurus,  Swains.  North.  Zool.  ii.  p.  501.  Appendix.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Tail  of  IG  feathers  :  the  3  lateral  c  ..s  pure  white, 
with  2  to  3  basal  black  bands  on  the  outer  webs :  the  belly  trans- 
versely banded.  -»      " 

A  single  specimen  of  this  bird  in  fine  and  perfect  plumage, 
exists  in  the  British  Museum,  from  Hudson's  Bay. 

Length  10^  inches ;  the  tail  2  inches  2  lines ;  the  wing  5  inches  4 
lines;  the  bill  above,  2  inches  5  lines ;  the  tarsus  nearly  the  same 
length.  The  plumage  the  same  with  S.  Drummondii  and  S.  IVilsoniif 
except  that  the  belly  is  barred  with  blackish-grey,  with  2  or  3  bars 
on  each  feather.  The  3  or  4  outer  pairs  of  tail  feathers  white,  with 
one  or  two  irregular  blackish  bars  near  the  bases  of  the  outer  webs : 
the  3  central  pairs  black,  with  a  broad  ferruginous  bar  near  the  end, 
separated  from  the  narrow  white  tip  by  a  black  line.  Bill  and  legs 
brownish.  Tail  considerably  rounded ;  the  3  outer  pairs  of  feathers 
diminishing  successively  in  breadth,  but  not  much ;  the  outer  ones 
having  about  three-fourths  of  tlie  breadth  of  the  middle  ones. 


Subgenus.  —  Glottis.     (Genus  of,  Nilsson.) 

With  the  bill  thick  and  strong;  the  mandibles  a  little  recurved, 
straight  and  almost  equal  at  the  point :  the  middle  and  outer  toe 
united  by  a  short  membrane. 

The  food  of  these  birds  consists  principally  of  fry  and  small  bi- 
valve shell-fish.  They  chiefly  dwell  on  the  borders  of  rivers  and 
fresh-water  lakes. 


♦ 


( \ 


018  ,       APPENDIX. 

'■'     GREENSHANK. 

(Totanus  glottis,  Bxchstkin.    Txiim.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.  p.  660.    7. 

Jutulans,  Bechst.  Naturg.  Deut  iv.  p.  241.  No.  8.  and  T.  griseuMf 
.   Ibid.  No.  5.  [the  young  of  the  year],  also  La  Barge  Grise,  Bniut. 

Ois.  V.  p.  2G7.  pi.  18.  6g.  1.  mnd  Greenshank,  Psrit.  Brit.  Zool. 

p.  121.  t.  C.  1.) 

Sp.  Charact.  —  Bill  stout,  much  compressed  at  its  base,  and  higher 
than  it  is  wide ;  under  wing-coverts  banded ;  the  feet  greenish. 

*  This  species  inhabits  the  north  of  both  continents,  but 
is  much  more  rare  in  America  than  Europe.  It  is  abund- 
ant in  Russia,  Siberia  and  S»'eden,  and  as  a  bird  of  pas- 
sage in  spring  and  autumn  is  seen  in  Britain,  France  and 
Holland.  It  has  also  been  brought  from  Bengal  in  India, 
and  stragglers  have  been  taken,  according  to  Pennant,  in  the 
vicinity  of  New  York.  Mr.  Audubon  likewise  met  with  it 
at  the  Tortugas,  near  to  the  extremity  of  East  Florida,  and 
Latham  received  it  from  Jamaica.  It  is  probably  more 
abundant  on  the  western  side  of  yimerica. 

The  Greenshank  most  con'monly  frequents  the  gravelly 
borders  of  rivers  and  marshes,  and  but  rarely  visits  the  sea- 
coast  except  at  the  period  of  migration.  Some  are  even 
supposed  to  pass  the  summer  in  England  in  the  fens ;  the 
egg  of  which  is  said  to  resemble  that  of  the  Lapwing,  but  is 
rather  less,  being  of  an  olive-brown,  covered  all  over  with 
small  dusky  spots.  The  greater  part  of  the  species  retire 
however  to  the  north  to  breed.  Their  food  consists  of  fry, 
small  fish,  and  shelly  mollusca. 

The  length  of  this  species  is  about  14  inches.  Bill  about  2^  inches 
long,  dusky.  Irids  hazel.  —  In  the  wini^  plumage  of  both  sexes,  the 
space  between  the  upper  mandible  and  the  eye,  throat,  middle  of  the 
breast,  belly,  all  the  other  lower  parts  and  the  middle  of  the  back, 
pure  white.  Head,  cheeks,  sides  and  fore  part  of  the  neck,  and  also 
the  sides  of  the  breast  streaked  longitudinally  with  ashy-brown  and 


GREEN8HANK. 


610 


white.  Feathers  of  the  upper  part  of  the  back,  Bcapulars,  and  wing- 
coverta  blackinh-brown,  each  surrounded  by  a  wide  yullowish-white 
border ;  on  the  longer  scapulars  there  aw  some  small  dark  brown 
bands.  Tail  white,  the  central  feathers  banded  with  brown  ;  the  3 
lateral  feathers  striped  longitudinally.  Tips  of  the  quills  whitish. 
Under  wing-coverts  banded  with  brown.  Bill  ashy-brown.  Feet 
yellowish-green. 

The  young  of  the  year  scarcely  differ  from  the  old  after  their  first 
moult.    The  feet  are  then  cinereous. 

Summer  plumage,  with  the  head  and  nape  longitudinally  banded 
with  black  and  white.  Orbits  white.  The  face,  throat,  fore  part  of 
the  neck,  breast,  upper  part  of  the  belly  and  flanks,  white,  scattered 
over  with  oval  spots  which  are  very  numerous  about  the  middle  of 
summer;  the  rest  of  the  lower  parts  are  pure  white,  except  the 
lower  wing-coverts,  which  have  some  black  along  the  shafls  of  the 
feathers.  The  upper  part  of  the  back  and  scapulars  deep  black, 
bordered  on  the  feathers  of  the  back  with  white,  and  upon  the  scapu* 
lars  with  3  or  4  spots  of  rufous-white,  disposed  on  th'  borders  of  the 
barbs.  Shoulder  of  the  wing  black.  The  greater  wing-coverts  and 
contiguous  large  feathers  are  of  a  rufous-ash,  with  some  black  along 
the  shafts ;  on  the  borders  of  these  long  feathers  there  are  some  small 
interrupted  black  marks ;  the  coverts  are  also  bordered  with  a  white 
edging,  which  is  succeeded  by  another  of  brown.  The  2  middle 
tail  feathers  are  ash,  transversely  banded  with  zig-zags  of  brown. 


V 


i  '^M 


630 


APPENDIX.       < 


M 


*»■■  IV*  ^  ■:^ 


HOODED  MERGANSER. 

(Mergus  eueullatua,  Linn.  Syst.  Lath.  Wilson,  viii.  p.  79.  pi.  C9 

%•  1) 

■A  ''  *.  *  '      '  '_        V'-  - 


FINIS. 


\\ 


'  ; 


^ 


•  .##«rt 


im 


._--'» ' 


.t-rtv> 


■4 


INDEX. 


Albatross    (Diomedea,  Genus 

of),p»go  83S. 
Wandering,    (D.   e»- 

ulnna),  340. 
Amblyriiinchus  (Subgenus  of), 

241. 
Aramus,  (Genus  of),  67. 
Ardea  (Subgenus  of),  41. 
Ardxoi.a  (Subgenus  of),  66. 
Auks  (Alca,  Genus  of),  546. 
Auk  Little,  or  Sea  Dove  (Uria 

alle  ),b8l. 

Great,  (Alca  impennis)  558. 

Parroquet,   (Phaleris  p$iUa- 

cula),  534. 
Avoset  (Recurvirostra,  Genus 

of),  73. 
American,  (R.  america- 

na), 75. 

B. 

Bittern  American  (Ardea  lenti- 
ginosa),  60. 

Least,  (A,  exilis)  66. 

Blue  Bird  Arctic  {Sialia  arctica), 
Appendix,  578. 

Booby  (Sulafusca),  500. 

BoTAURUs  (Subgenus  of),  52. 

Boschas  (Subgenus  of), 377. 

Bunting  Painted  (Emberixapieta), 
Append.  584. 

Clay-colored  (E.  palli- 
da), App.  584. 

'  Snow,  (£.  nivali$),  App. 


583. 


Tree  or  Sparrow  (E. 


canadensis),  App.  585. 
53 


Bunting   Reed  (E.  schcmiculiu), 

App.  586. 
Buzzard  Common  {t'alco  Buteo), 

App.  659. 

C. 

Calendre    Lark,   {Alauda  ealuu- 

dra,)  App.  580. 
Cat-Bird  {Turdus  felivox)      578. 
Catoptropuorus  (Subgenus  of), 

Cedar-Bird,    (Bombycilla    ea  roli- 

nensis),  App.  {j80. 
Ceroriiinca  (Genus  of),     537. 
Western  (C.  oeei' 

dentalis),  538. 
Clanoula  (Subgenus  of),    440. 
Cock  of  the  Plains,  (Tetrao  urO' 

phasianus,)  App.  018. 
Coots  rFuLicA,  Genus  of),     286. 
Coot  Cinereous   (F.  americana), 

229. 
Cormorants    (Phalacrocorax,) 

Genus  of)  477. 
Cormorant    African  (P.    afriea- 

nus),  488, 

-  C'>-ii'a(P.  Carbo), 


•  Crested  (P.  cristatus), 


479. 


486. 
Double  Crested  (P.  di- 

lophus)   483. 
Dwarf  (P.  pygnunis), 

487. 


Shag   (P.  graeultu). 


484. 
Cranes  (Grits,  Genus  of),  38. 


632 


INDEX. 


Crane  Brown,  (G.  canadensui),3S. 

Great  White  (G.  *Judu- 

bonii,)  39. 

Whooping  (G.  americana) 


34. 

Crex,  (Subenus  of)  208. 
Crossbill  Common  (Loxia  eurvi' 

rostra),  App.  590. 
White- Winged  (L.  leu- 

coptera),  App.  590. 
Curlews,  (Nuhenius,  Genus  of) 

92. 
Esquimaux,  (JV.  Hud- 

sonicus,)  97. 

Long-Billed  (JV*.  longi- 


rostris),  94. 

Small  Esquimaux,  (JV. 


borealis,)  101 

Whimbrel    Amcican, 


(JV.  intermedins,)  100. 

D. 

Darters  (Plotus  Genus  of),  505. 

Black-Bellied  (P.  anhin- 

ga,)  507. 

Surinam,  {Hcliornis  su- 


rinamcnsis,)  510. 
Divers,  (Colymbus   Genus  of), 

511. 
Diver   Black-Throated,  (C  arc- 

ticus,)  517. 
. Great  Northern,  (C.  glad- 

alis)  513. 

Red-Throated  (C  septcn- 


trionalis)  519, 
Dipper  American,  (Cinclus  ameri- 

canus)  App.  569. 
Dobchick     Pied-Bill,     {Podiceps 

carolinensis,)  259. 
Ducks,  (Anas,  Genus  of)  373. 

Common,  or  Mallard,  (j1. 

domestica,)  378. 

Dusky,  (Ji.  obscura,)  392. 

Gadwall,     (j3.    strepcra,) 


383. 


Musk,  or  Muscovy,   (A. 
moschala,)  403. 

Shoveler,    {A.    clypeata,) 


375. 


Summer    or   Wood,    (»4. 


sponsa,)  394. 


Ducks,   Teal    Blue-winged    (A. 
discors)  897. 

Green-winged  (A. 


crecca,)  400. 

Winter,  or  Pintail  (jSnas 


acuta,)  386. 

Widgeon  American   (.4. 

americana^^  389. 

Ducks  Sea  (Fuligula,  Genus  of) 

405. 
Duck  Black,  or  Surf  (F.  perspi- 

cillata),  416. 

Canvass-Back   (F.  valisne- 

ria)  430. 

Eider  (F.  mollissima)  407. 

King  (F.  spectabilis)  414. 

Velvet  (F.  fusca)  419. 

Golden-eye,  (F.   dangula) 

440. 

Barrow's  (F. 

Barrovii,)  444. 

Harlequin   (F.  histrionica) 

448. 

Long-Tailed  (F.  glacialis) 

Pied  (F.  labradora,)  428. 

Red-Headed  (F.ferina)  434. 

Ring-Necked    (F.    rujitor- 

ques)  439. 

Ruddy  (F.  rubida),  426. 

Scaup  (F.  marila) ,  437. 

Scoter  (F.  m^ra),  423. 

American  (F.  ameri- 
cana,) 422. 

Spirit  (F.  albeola)  445. 

Western  (F.  Stelleri)  451. 

Dunlin,  or  Ox-Bird  (Tringa  alpi- 

na)  106. 

E. 
EuLiGA  (Subgenus  of)  167. 


Finch     Black,      or      Snow-Bird 
(Fringilla  hicmalis)  App.  569. 
Fox-Colored    (F.    iliaca,) 


App.  588. 

White-Crowned   (F.    /«*- 


copkrys,)  App.  587 

w      - 


hite-Throated  {F.penU' 


sylvanica)  App.  588. 


INDEX. 


623 


leu- 
.  penn- 


Flamingo  (Phocnicoptsrus,  Ge- 
nus of),  oO. 

American  (P.  ruber,)  71. 

Fly-Catcher  Olive-Sided  (Musci- 
capa  Caoperi,)  567. 

Little-Tyrant,  (M.  pu- 

silla)  ib. 

Frigate  Pelicans,  (Trachypetes, 
Genus  of;,  489 

— — —  Pelican  (T.  aquilus,)  491. 

G. 

Gadwall  or  Grey,  (Arias  strepe- 

ra)  383. 
Gallinules  CGallinula,   Genus 

of;,  218. 
Gallinule  Florida  (G.  galeata), 

223. 

Purple  (G.  martinica,) 

221. 

Gambet,  or  Red-Shank  {Totanus 

cdlidris,)  155. 
Gannets  (Sula,  Genus  of),  493. 
Gannet,  (S.  basana,)  495. 

Booby,  (S.  fusca)  500. 

Geese,  (Anser,  Genus  of)  343. 
God  wits  (LiMos  A,  Genus  of)  171. 
Godwit    Great  Marbled,  (L.  fe- 

doa),  173. 

Hudsonian,    (L.  Hudso- 

nica)  175. 

White,  (L.  alha)  179. 


Golden-Eye    Common  {Fuligula 

clangula,)  441. 
Rocky  Mountain,  (F. 

Barrovii)  444. 
Goose  Barnacle,  (Anser  leucopsis) 

355. 

Bean  (A.  segetum)  348. 

Brant  or  Brent,  (A.  Ber- 

nicla)  358. 

Canada,    (A.  canadensis) 


349. 


Hutchins's  Barnacle,  {A. 
Hutchinsii)  362. 

Laughing,  {A.  albifrons), 


346. 
344. 


Snow,    (A.    hypcrboreus) 


Gooseander,  (Mergus  merganser) 


Grakle  Rusty  (Q^isealus  ferm- 

gineuB,)  App.  597. 
Grebes  CPodiceps,  Genus  of), 

248. 
Grebe  Crested,  or    Gaunt,  (P. 

cristatus,)  250. 

Eared,  (P.  auritus,)  256. 

Horned  or  Dobchick,  (P. 


cornutus)  254. 

Little,  (P.  minor)  257. 

Pied-Bill,  (P.   carolinen- 


sis)  259. 

Red-Necked,  (P.  rabricol- 


lis)  253. 

Greenlet  fiartram's  (Virco  Bar- 
tramii)  App.  578. 

Long-Billed,  (V.  longi- 


rostris,)  App.  578 
Green  shank     (Totanus    glottis,) 

App.  618. 
Ground-Finch  Arctic  (Fringilla 

arctica,)  App.  E89. 
Grouse  Dusky  (Tetrao  obscurus,) 

App.  609. 

Rock  (T.  rupestr is,)  App. 


610. 


White-Tailed   (T.  kucu- 
rus,)  App.  612. 

Sharp-Tailed    (T.  phasi- 


anellus,)  App.  615. 
Grosbeak     Evening     (Fringilla 
vespertina)  App.  594. 

Rose-Breasted  (F.  lud- 


oviciana)  App.  ib.  id. 
Guillemots,  (Uria,    Genus    of) 

521 
Guillemot  Black  (U.  gryllc),  523. 

hi"     — 


•  Large-Billed  (U.  Brun- 
nichii,)  429. 

Foolish  (U.  troille)  426. 

Marbled,   (U.  marmo- 


rata)  525. 
Gulls,  (Larus,  Genus  of)  287. 
Gull    Black-Backed,     or     Cobb, 

(L.  marinus,)  308. 
• Black-Headed,  (L.  atricil- 

la)  291. 

Bonapartian,  (L.  Bonapar- 


til)  294. 

Brown-Masked  (L.  capis- 


tratus)  290. 


624 


INDEX. 


Gull  Common   or  Mew,  (L.  ta- 1  Humminif.Bird  Nootka  (Troehi- 

nus)  299.  •  ^ ^ 

•  Fork-Tailed, 


S96. 


(L.   Sabinii) 


■  Franklin's  Rosy  (£,.  Frank- 
linii)  293. 

Glaucous,    or    Burgomas- 


ter (L.  glauctts,)  306, 

Herring  IL.  argentatus, )304. 

Ivory,  (L.   ebumeus)  301. 

Kittiwake   (L.  tridactyliis), 

298. 

Little  (L.  minutus)  289. 

Ring-Billed  Mew  {L.  zon- 

arhynehus)  300. 
Short-Billed      Mew,    (L. 

brachyrhynchus)  301. 

Silvery,  (L.  fuscus)  302. 

Skua,  {Lestris    catarracta) 


lus  rujus)ATtp.  605. 
Humming-Bird  Northern  (T.  co- 


lidtria,)  A  pp.  ib 
Hydroka,  (Subgenus  of)      259. 

I. 

Ibis,  (Ibis,  Genus  of)  84. 

Glossy  (T.  falcmelliis,)  88. 

Scarlet  (T.  rubra,)  84. 

White  (r.  alba,)  86. 

Ibis  Wood     (Tantalus     Genus 
of),  81. 

{T.  loculator)  82. 


312. 


Wedge-Tailed  {Lams  Ros- 
sii)  295. 

White- Winged  Silvery  (L. 


leucopterus)  305. 
GyiwNATHUs,  (Subgenus  of)  403. 
Gymnura,  (Subgenus  of)  416. 

H. 
Harelda,  (Subgenus  of)  452. 
Heliorms,  (Genus  of)  509. 
Herons,  (Ardea,  Genus  of)  39. 
Heron  American  Night  (^.  *  dis- 
cors)  54. 

Blue,  (^.  ccerulea)  58. 

Bittern  (A.  lentiginosa,)  60. 

Great  White,  {^.  egretta) 

47. 

Great,  (^.  herodias,)   42. 

Green  (./i.  virescens),  03. 

Least,  (A.  erilis)  66. 

Louisiana,   (A.  ludovicia- 

na)  51. 

Peale's  '^.gret  {A.  Pealii,) 


Jagers,  (Lestris,  genus  of)  310. 
Jager  Arctic,  {L. parasitica),  317. 
Broad-Billed,  (L.  cepphus) 


318. 
315. 


40. 


ib. 


Snowy,  (A.  candidissima^ 
White-Crowned,  (A.  vio- 


lacea)  52.' 
Heteropoda,  (Subgenus  of )  135. 

Hoi.oponius,  (Subgenus  of)  244.   Mergansers  (Mergus  Genus  of), 

I     458. 


Pomarine,  (L.  pomarina) 

Richardson's  (L.  Richard- 

sonii)  319. 
Jay   Canada,    or    Whiskey-Jack 

(Corvus  canadensis,)  App.  598. 
Short-Billed    (C   brachyi'yn- 

chua,)  App.  599. 

K. 
King-Fisher   Belted,  (Alcedo  Al- 

cyon)  App.  609. 
Knot,  (Tringa  cinerea)  125. 


Lark  Shore,  or  Horned,  {Alauda 

cornuta)  App.  582. 
Linnet  Grey-Crowned  (Fringilla 

tcphrocotis,)  App.  593. 
LoBE-FooTED  Birds,  (Pinnati- 

PEDES,  Order  of),  226. 
LoBiPES,  (Subgenus  of)  239. 

M. 
Machetes,  (Subgenus  of)  129. 
Macropus,  (Subgenus  of)  450. 
Macroramphus,  (Subgenus    of) 

180. 
Martin    Purple,    (H.    purpurea), 

App.  608. 


INDEX. 


625 


Merganser  (M.  Merganser) ,  460. 

Hooded,  {M.  cuculla- 

fu«)  465  and  App.    620. 

-Red-Breasted  (Jlf.  ser- 


rator),  463 


467. 


Smew  (M.  albellus), 


Mergclus  (Subgenus  of),  530. 
Merlin  {Falco  Osalon),  App.  558. 
MicROPTERA  (Subgenus  of),  192. 
Mormon  (Puffin,  Genus  of),  538. 

Common,  or  Coulterneb 

(Jlf.  arcticus)  542. 

Large-Billed  (M.  glaci- 


alis),  541 

Tufted    (Jlf.  cirrhatus), 


539. 


N. 


Night-Hawk,  or  Pisk   (Caprimuh 

gus  virginianus) ,  App.  609. 
Noddy  (Sterna  stolida),  285. 


OiDEMiA  (Subgenus  of),  416. 

Oriole  Baltimore  (Icterus  Balti- 
more) App.  595. 

Oyster-Catcher  (Hjematopds, 
Genus  of),  11. 

Mantled  (H.pal- 

liatus),  15. 

Pied  (H.    ostra- 

legus),  12. 

Owl  Arctic,  or  White  Horned 
(Strix  scandiaca),  App.  561. 

Tengmalm's      (R.      Teng- 

malmi),  App.  562. 


Pelicans  (Pelecancs,  G«nus  of), 

469. 
Pelican  (P.  onocrotalus) ,  471. 

Brown  (P.fuscus),  476. 

Petrel       Fork-Tailed       Stormy, 

(Thalassidroma  Leachii),  426. 

Stormy  (T./>e?agica),  327, 

Wilson's  Stormy  (T.  Vil- 


sonii) ,  322. 
Petrels     (Procellaria,     Genus 

of),  328. 
Petrel  Fulmar  (P.  gladalis),  431. 
Giant  (P.  gijantea),  329. 

54 


Petrel  Shear- Water  (Pyffinus  on- 
glorum),  336. 

Dusky  (P.  obBeurus),B37. 

cinereous    (P.  cinereus), 


334. 

Petrels  Swallow  (Thalassidro- 
ma, Genus  of),  320. 

Pewit  Short-Legged  (Muscicapa 
Richardsonii) ,  568. 

Phalaropes  (Phalaropcs,  Genus 
of),  233. 

Phalarope  Red  (P.  fulicarius), 
236. 

American    (P.     Wih 


sonii),  245. 

Hyperborean  (P.  hy- 


perborevfi),  »39. 
Plain    (P.  glacialis), 

247. 
Phalaropcs  (Subgenus  of),  23t>. 
Phaleris  (Genus  of^,  533. 

Crested,  (P.  cristatel- 


la)  536. 
Plovers     (Charadrius,     Genus 

of),  15. 
Plover  Golden  (C  pluvialis),  16 
Black-Bellied   (C.  hvlveti 


cus,)  26 

Kildeer  (C.  vociferus),  22. 

Piping  Ringed  (C.    melo 


dus),  18 

Semipalmated  Ringed  (C. 


semipalmatvs) ,  24 

Wilson's  (C.  Wilsonii),  21 


Plovers  Long-Legged  (Himanto 

PCS,  Genus  of ),  6. 
Plover  Long-Legged  (H.  melan 

optervs,)  10. 

Sanderling  (Calidris    ar 


enaria,)  4. 
Pochard  (Fuligulafenna),  434. 
Podiceps  (Genus  of),  249. 
Puffins  (PuFFiNus,    Genus   of), 

334. 

Q-  I 

Qua-Bird,  (Ardea  discors),'  54«" 

R. 

Rails  (Rallds,  Genus  of),  199. 
Rail  Carolina  (R.  carolinus,)  209. 


G26 


INDEX. 


Rail  Clapper  {R,  crepitans),  201. 
Lesser       {R.    virginianus,) 

205. 
Yellow-Breasted   (if.    nove- 

boracensis),  215. 
Rallus  (Subgenus  of),  200. 
Razor-Bill  (Mca  torda),  547. 
Red-Poll  Lesser  (Fringilla   lina- 

ria),  A  pp.  592. 
,  Robin  American  (Turdus  migra- 

torius),  App.  5G9. 
Ruff  (Tringapugnax,),W). 

S. 
Sandcrlings    (Calidris,    Genus 

of,)  2. 
Sanderling  (C  arcnariu),  4. 
Sandpipers  (Tringa,  Genus  of), 
103. 

Ash-Colored,  or  Knot 

{T.  cinerea),  125. 

Broad-Billed  (T.  pla- 


tyrhinca),  114. 

Buff-Breasted   (T.  rti- 


fesceiia),  113, 

-  Cape  (r  suharquata), 


104. 


106. 


lis),  in. 


119. 


115. 


109. 


D  unli  n    (  T.    utpina) , 

Pectoral  {T.  pectora- 

Pigmy    (T.   minuta), 

■  Purple  (T.  maritima), 

Ruff  {T.piignax),  130. 
Schinz's  (T.  Schinzii), 

Semipalmated  (T.  se- 


ipalmatd),  130 


tint  (T.pusilld),  117. 
Wilson's    {T.    Wilso- 

nii),  121. 
Sandpipers  Stilt-Legged    (Hkmi- 

palma,  Subgenus  of),  138. 
Sandpiper  Long-Legged  (Tringa 

Himantopus),  ib. 
Audubon's  Stilt  (T.  ^m- 

duhonii),  140. 

„, —  Douglas's  Stilt  (T.  Dou- 


Scolopaceous  Courlan    {Aramus 

Scotopaceus) ,  68. 
ScoLOPAX,  (Subgenus  of),  184. 
Sea  Ducks     (Fuligula,    Genus 

of),  405. 
Shag    {Phalacrocorax  graculrts), 

4b4. 
Shoveller  {.^nas  clypeata),  375. 
Shrike,  American  Grey    {Lanius 

excubitoroides),  App.  564. 

Great  American  (L.  borea- 


glasii),  141. 


lis),  App.  ib. 
White- Winged      (L.    elc- 

gans),  App.  566. 
Skimmer  (Rynchops,  Genus  of), 

263. 

Black  (R.  nigra),  264, 


and  App.  616. 

Appendix,  ic.  ib. 

Smew  (Mergus  albelhis),  461. 
Snipe  (Scolopax,  Genus  of),  179. 

Brown  (5'.  grisea),  181. 

Douglas's      {S.  Douglasii) 


191. 

Drummond's 

mondii),  190. 

White-Tailed  (S.  leucurtis), 


(S.     Jjrum- 


App.  617. 

Wilson's 

185. 

Semipalmated  (Totanus  se- 


(S.    Wilsonii), 


mipalmatus) ,  144. 
SoMATERiA,  (Subgenus  of),  406. 
SpATHULiA,  (Subgenus  of),  374. 
Spoonbills      (Plataljsa,   Genus 

of),  78. 

Roseate  (P.  ajaja),  79. 


Squatarot-a,  (Subgenus  of),  26. 
Stilt  Black-Necked  (Himantopus 

nigricollis),  8. 
Swallow  Barn,  (Hirundo  ameri- 

cana),  App.  607. 

Cliff  (ff.  lunifrons),  App 


ib. 

Swans  (CvGNus,  Genus  of),  364. 
Bewick's     (C.   Bcwickii), 


372. 


Trumpeter      (C   buccina- 


tor), 370. 
Wild  {C.ferus),  366. 


INDEX. 


627 


Tatler  Bartrain's   (Totanus  Bar- 

tramii),  1C8. 
Spotted,  or  Peet-Weet,  (T. 

macularlus),  162. 

White-Tailed  (T.  ochropus), 


157. 


Red-Sliank     (T.   calidris), 

155. 
Yellow-Shanks    (T.  fiavi- 

pes),  152. 
Great  Yellow-Shanks 


vociferus),  148. 
Green-Rump 


(T. 

(T.    c/tZoro- 

pygius),  159. 
Teal  Blue-Winged  {Anas  discors) , 

397. 
American      Green- Winged, 

(./3.  crecca),  400. 
Tell-Tale,      or     Great    Yellow- 
Shanks      (Totanus    vociferus), 

148. 
Terns  (Sterna,  Genus  of),  267. 
Tern  Arctic  (S.  arctica),  275. 

Black  {S  nigra),  282. 

Cayenne  (5'.  Guyana),    268. 

Great  (S.  hinmdo),  271. 

Marsh  (6'.  anglica),  269. 

Noddy  (S.  stolida),  285. 

Roseate  (S.  Dougalii),    278. 

Sandwicn  (S.  Boysii),  276. 

Silvery  (&'.  argentea),  280. 

Sooty  (S.fuliginosa),  284. 

Thrush  Wilson's     (Turdus    Wil- 

sonii),  571. 
Mock-Bird     ( T.   meruloi- 

des),  572. 
Titmouse  Black-Cap  (Parus  atri- 

eapillus),  App.  576. 
Hudsonian  (Parus  Hud- 

sonicus),  App.  577. 
Totanus  (Tatlkr  Genus  of)  142. 

^Subgenus  of),  148. 

Tringa  (Subgenus  of),  104. 
Tropic-Birds     (Pha-ton,   Genus 

of),  502. 
Common  (P.  athere- 

us),  503. 
Troopial  Saffron-Headed  (Icterus 

xanthoccphalus) ,  App.  594. 


Turnstone     (Strefsilcs   Genus 
of),  29. 

,  or  Sea  Dotterel  (5.  m- 


terpres) ,  30. 

Green-Rump  (T.  chloropy- 


gius),  159. 


U. 


Uria  (Genus  of),  522. 

V. 

Vulture   Californian     (Catharlcs 
calif ornianus) ,  App.  558. 

W. 

Wading  Biros  (Grallatores), 

Warbler  Yellow-Rump     (Sylvia 
maculosa),  App.  574. 

Rathbone's    (S.   Rathho- 


nia),  App.  575. 
Roscoe's        (S.   Roscoe), 

App.  574. 
Waxen      Chatterer       European 

(Bombycilla  garrula),  App.  579. 
Web-Footed  Birds    (Palmipe- 
des), 262. 
Whimbrel  American    (JVumenius 

intcrmedius) ,  100. 
Willet    (Totanus  semipalmatus), 

144. 
Woodcocks    (Rdsticola,  Genus 

of),  192. 
Woodcock  Lesser      (R.  minor), 

194. 
Woodpecker  Downy    (Picus  pu- 

bescens),  App.  600. 
Little  Georgian   (P. 

meridionalis) ,  App.  601. 

Little   Midland    (P. 


medianus),  App.  ib 

Red-Shafted 


mexicanus),  App.  603. 
Three-Toed 


Arctic 

Com- 
mon (P.  tridactylus),  App.  602. 
Wren  Winter  (Troglodytes  hiema- 
lis),  App.  603. 

Ruby-Crowned      (Regulua 


(P.  arcticy^),  App.  ib. 
Three-Toed 


calendulus),  App.  604. 


